Arthur et Robert (also ''manufacture Arthur et Robert'') was a

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

-based

wallpaper Wallpaper is a material used in interior decoration to decorate the interior walls of domestic and public buildings. It is usually sold in rolls and is applied onto a wall using wallpaper paste. Wallpapers can come plain as "lining paper" (so ...

manufacturer active during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Named for two British expatriates, the firm produced block printed scenic and ''

trompe-l'œil ''Trompe-l'œil'' ( , ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. ''Trompe l'oeil'', which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into ...

'' wallpapers. Arthur et Robert, which, aside from

Réveillon A ''réveillon'' () is a long dinner held in the evening preceding Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. Its name descends from the word ''réveil'' (meaning "waking"), because participation involves staying awake until morning, as the meal finishes ...

, was the most important wallpaper manufacturer in France in the late 18th century was established by Arthur in 1772, later becoming Arthur et Grenard, and ultimately becoming Arthur et Robert around 1789 when Grenard retired and the paper merchant Francois Robert took his place. Arthur et Robert wallpapers often used Neoclassical decorative and architectural motifs popular in the

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

Directoire The Directory (also called Directorate, ) was the governing five-member committee in the French First Republic from 2 November 1795 until 9 November 1799, when it was overthrown by Napoleon Bonaparte in the Coup of 18 Brumaire and replaced by ...

and

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

styles. Their wallpapers effected the appearance of fabric including silk moirée, velvet,

fringe Fringe may refer to: Arts * Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, known as "the Fringe" * Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival * Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre * The Fringe, the ...

, and

tassel A tassel is a finishing feature in fabric and clothing decoration. It is a universal ornament that is seen in varying versions in many cultures around the globe. History and use In the Hebrew Bible, the Lord spoke to Moses instructing him to ...

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

while the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Ambassador to the Court of

(1785–1789), placed orders at the Arthur et Robert shop.

Bibliography

* Halsey, R.T. Haines. "Wall-Papers and Paint in the New American Wing ." ''The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin.'' Vol. 19, No. 10. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: October 1924, pp. 236-238. * Kosuda-Warner, Joanne, and Elisabeth Johnson. ''Landscape Wallcoverings.'' Scala Publishers in association with the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution. * Helen Bieri-Thomson, "Un salon parisien au cœur du Jura", in ''Passé simple'' 71, Jan. 2022, pp. 20-22.

References

{{reflist

External links

French Wallpaper Museum Rixheim

Manufacturing companies of France