If Walls Could Talk with Dr Louise Atkinson

The History of Chinese wallpaper

The majority of historic Chinese wallpapers were produced for export by artisans in Canton (now Guangzhou) between the 1740s and 1790s, and catered specifically to the European market. At the time, Canton was the only Chinese port open to foreign trade under the Canton System, which restricted contact between foreign merchants and Chinese officials. Trade was confined to the months between April and October, after which European ships would return home.

While commodities such as tea, silk, and porcelain were shipped in bulk by East India Company ships, Chinese wallpapers were transported in smaller quantities. These wallpapers were usually acquired as part of the private trade allowed to East India Company officers. Their labour-intensive production, long journey times, and restricted supply of Chinese wallpapers contributed to their high value.

The trade in Chinese wallpaper, like many imported luxury goods of the time, was sustained by wealth derived from colonial systems, including the exploitation of enslaved people and profits from Caribbean plantations. The Lascelles family, who built and furnished Harewood House, were deeply involved in both the transatlantic slave economy and the East India Company network. Their fortune underpinned the purchase and installation of Chinese export art, including wallpaper.

These wallpapers appear to have been produced in larger quantities and feature stylised birds, flowers, butterflies, and rocks arranged to form a continuous panoramic scene. Examples of this style can be seen at numerous country house museums across the UK, including nearby Temple Newsam House and Nostell Priory. By contrast, the Chinese wallpaper at Harewood House was entirely hand-painted and details a series of images of people engaged in scenes of rural and agricultural life.

Pictures of Tilling and Weaving

The wallpaper shows a sequence of scenes illustrating the production of four of the goods which made up the Chinese domestic and export economies: rice, silk, porcelain, and tea. The wallpaper imagery is derived from the Chinese tradition of illustrated manuals, specifically the Pictures of Tilling and Weaving or Gengzhitu 耕織圖. This series, first created in the 12th century to show the value of agricultural labour, was revived in the 18th century by Qing emperors who distributed the images as woodblock prints to promote ideas of good governance and economic stability.

The scenes in the Harewood wallpaper are directly based on this visual tradition, which is also evident in the wallpapers at Saltram House and Coutts Bank. For example, one panel shows the silkworm hatching process, with women feeding larvae mulberry leaves. Another shows offerings made to the Silkworm Deity, reflecting customs linked to sericulture. Some elements, such as the controversial queue hairstyle, reflect the time and context in which the wallpaper was made. These details were not always understood by European viewers, but they remain important indicators of cultural meaning.

If Walls Could Talk aims to open up these histories and make space for new interpretations, setting the scene for a new augmented reality intervention in the East Bedroom in September 2025. Developed from the creative workshops, the project aims to offer new interpretations, rooted in both historical research and contemporary voices, to explore how we read and respond to the objects in historic houses today.

You can find out more about the project by following @ifwallscouldtalk on Instagram.