Did you know that the Whitworth looks after a collection of around 10,000 wallpapers? Some of these are luxurious, beautiful, old and hand printed, but most are the cheap and cheerful output of factories that gave remnants to museums after ceasing production. Open House focuses on the everyday wallpapers that lined the walls of almost every British home from the 1950s to the 1990s.
Do you remember the wallpapers that surrounded you?
Behind the scenes, the Open House volunteer team are photographing 5,000 items from the wallpaper collection to enable richer online browsing, opening up the collection’s research potential. Photos and memories about wallpaper shared through the project will be attached to collection records to enrich interpretation and tap into social relevance.
Click through the images below to explore.
Underneath each image, select 🛈 to find out more and 🗨️ to comment.
Let us know if these wallpapers stir any memories for you!
Search the full collection on the Whitworth’s online collection search
OPEN HOUSE 