Wallpaper

Wallpaper highlights from the collection

Phyllis Murphy in her East Malvern apartment, Melbourne, c1950
Wallpaper

Beyond the wallpaper: the life and work of Phyllis and John Murphy

A significant donation of more than 3,000 wallpaper samples to the Caroline Simpson Library reflects just one facet of the remarkable careers of Phyllis and John Murphy, partners in life, architecture and heritage conservation

Kandos frieze
Wallpaper

Handmade wallpaper: Morrison's of Sydney

Morrison's built a successful wallpaper manfacturing business in early 20th century Sydney

Composite image of a selection of 4 walpapers
Wallpaper

Mr Fox’s wallpapers

The digitisation of NSW school files at NSW State Archives has resulted in an unusual discovery: 19th-century wallpaper samples

Space-age wallpaper
Wallpaper

Sci-fi wallpaper (and other designs for children)

We dug deep into our collections and found wonderfully whimsical wallpaper, designed for children’s bedroom walls

Wallpaper

Trainspotting wallpaper from Blackdown, Bathurst NSW

Although the railway did not officially arrive at the New South Wales town of Bathurst until 1876, at a nearby property, Blackdown, a virtual railway station had been created more than 20 years earlier

Acquisition of the John and Phyllis Murphy wallpaper collection
Wallpaper

Wall to wall: a marvellous wallpaper collection

A remarkable donation of over 3,000 wallpaper samples by John and Phyllis Murphy adds to our existing collection to form Australia’s largest repository of historic wallpapers

Wallpaper

Wallpaper recreated for 'The Harp in the South'

The Harp in the South wallpaper was recreated to evoke the main setting for the novels and play: the Darcy family’s run-down terrace house at 12½ Plymouth Street, Surry Hills in 1940s Sydney

Wallpaper fragment from a Pyrmont workers cottage, c1850
Wallpaper

Wallpaper ‘sandwich’ from Pyrmont

A ‘sandwich’ of many layers of wallpaper uncovered behind timber panelling has opened a small, colourful window into the popularity of wallpaper in mid 19th century Sydney