See the Work
Where to experience Victorian Wallpaper's designs in person, and resources to learn more
Permanent Collections
Institutions holding Victorian Wallpaper's original designs, plus the public-domain archive these images are drawn from.
The designs in this archive come from Cooper Hewitt (Smithsonian), The Met, Cleveland Museum of Art and the Internet Archive. All are in the public domain.
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
New York City
Holds a very large wallpaper collection, including most of William Morris's designs, and releases its images under CC0; the main source of this archive.
Learn MoreVictoria and Albert Museum
London, United Kingdom
Holds one of the largest wallpaper collections in the world, including Morris & Co. papers and the records of the firms that printed them.
Learn MoreMetropolitan Museum of Art
New York City
Holds Morris and other British papers and French scenic wallpapers, many available as open-access images.
Learn MoreCleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, Ohio
Holds wallpapers and related design drawings and releases public-domain images under CC0.
Learn MoreHistoric New England
Boston, Massachusetts
Maintains a major collection of wallpaper from New England houses, with documented examples across the nineteenth century.
Learn MoreWilliam Morris Gallery
Walthamstow, London
Museum devoted to Morris and his circle, in the house where he spent part of his youth.
Learn MoreMajor Exhibitions
Notable retrospectives and exhibitions of Victorian Wallpaper's work.
William Morris 1834-1896
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
A centenary exhibition of Morris's work in many media, including his wallpaper designs, curated by Linda Parry and drawn mainly from the museum's collection.
Victorian Maximalism in Wallpaper Design
Fisher Fine Arts Library, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
A small exhibition using hand-printed reproductions to examine Aesthetic and Arts and Crafts wallpapers, Morris, Japanese motifs and botanical design, curated by Michael Carroll.
Books & Films About Victorian Wallpaper
Essential resources for understanding Victorian Wallpaper's life and work.
Essential Reading
A comprehensive history of American wallpaper, produced with the Barra Foundation and the Cooper-Hewitt Museum and drawing on the museum's holdings.
A collection of essays by specialists on the history, design and manufacture of wallpaper, with a strong emphasis on British practice.
The great nineteenth-century survey of world ornament in 100 colour plates; it is the source of the plates in this archive.
An early and still-cited survey of the British wallpaper trade and its makers.
Films & Other Resources
A scholarly catalogue and history of wallpaper based on one of the largest museum collections.
The catalogue of the Victoria and Albert Museum's centenary exhibition, with extensive coverage of Morris's wallpapers.
Online Resources
Explore the Archive
Browse 2109 Victorian Wallpaper designs from Cooper Hewitt (Smithsonian), The Met, Cleveland Museum of Art and the Internet Archive.
View All Designs