We had not been prepared for the astonishing beauty and bold color of an original stenciled room... Alice Bancroft Fjelstul

{HISTORY}

The history of stenciling on walls as a more economical alternative to wallpaper goes back centuries. A popular art form in many different cultures around the world, it was a celebrated form of expression in America in the 18th and 19th centuries, primarily in New England. Full of symbolism as much as a deep desire to bring decoration and color to a room, these stencils were painted by artists who traveled the region offering their services on whatever scale their customers requested. Whether it be in the form of full room paintings, borders, mantel detailing or just one simple image, these antique designs brought style, visual interest and meaning to early American homes.  

In this vintage art history book, Early American Wall Stencils, authors Alice Bancroft Fjelstul and Patrica Brown Schad bring together the history of this primitive art form, the histories of the houses where they are still found preserved today, and the history of one of the industry's most prolific stencilers, Moses Eaton Jr ( 1796-1886) whose work remains on the walls of homes around the Northeast. 

Included with all this history comes modern-day (1980s!) tutorials on how to re-create the look yourself along with 100 pages of examples of full-color primitive stencil designs favored by Moses and some of his contemporaries. For any old house lover, art enthusiast or historic interior design aficionado, this book is fascinating from the first page to the last. Our particular favorites are the pineapple stencils which appeared in several colors.  

{SPECIAL  FEATURES} 

- First Edition, published in 1982

- 137 pages

- Original dust jacket

- Full-color illustrations throughout

{CONDITION}

In gorgeous vintage condition.no spots or stains. The dust jacket is fully intact. Coverboards are clean and bright as well as all interior pages. The spine is tight and all pages are intact. 

{SIZE}

Measures 11.25" inches (length) x 8.75" inches (width) x .75" inches (thickness) and weighs 2lbs.