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Overview
This wallpaper was designed to be used in a child-related space, either a bedroom, nursery or possibly a playroom. The symmetrical pattern, earthy colours, use of natural forms and curved lines are indicative of the influence of Art Nouveau design and Arts and Crafts Movement.
Increased wealth and larger homes in the early twentieth century meant that many families could afford to give children their own room. It was a time when children's room decoration flourished. Along with advances in washable wallpapers and colour printing, the walls of a child's room could be adorned with stimulating, entertaining and educational images - just like the ones in this wallpaper.
The wallpaper was found in a cupboard in a house in Ashburton when Dr Noel Fulton and his family moved in. They bought the house and associated medical practice in 1927 from Dr Miller.
The house was villa style built in 1906 with weatherboards and iron roof. The donor remembers that the house had interesting kauri doors, which were carefully painted so that they looked as if they were made of different woods in the panels.