A curated tour of the famous Sanderson Archive

The Sanderson Archive holds an internationally significant collection of 19th- and 20th-century artwork and wallpapers, including examples of work by important French and English manufacturers. On July 19th 2019 we were delighted to get a chance to look around the archive and see firsthand the huge variety of patterns and designs the archive holds, in the company of archivist, Keren Protheroe.

Arthur Sanderson & Son advertisement c. 1900; Machine Printed Wallpaper 1920s;

'Tricus' screen printed wallpaper, designed by Gordon Crook, 1960.

Keren began to the tour by telling us a brief history of the archive, and showed us the state of the art storage facilities for this important collection of design resources. We then took a closer look at an amazing selection of wallpapers reflecting over a hundred years of changes in pattern and taste, including Japanese leather wallpapers, the Jeffrey & Co wallpaper log books and wallpapers and decorative friezes produced by Arthur Sanderson & Sons at the Sanderson factory in Chiswick c.1880s to 1920s. Keren ensured that there was something for everyone, and treated fans of moderne and modernist-inspired wallpapers to a personal look at the 20th-century screen-printed wallpapers created for Palladio and Sanderson ranges in the 1950s and 1960s. Thanks again to all at the archive for a really fascinating afternoon spent exploring this important historic collection and inspirational design resource.

Dr Phillippa Mapes ACR