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Object Timeline

1925

  • Work on this object began.

1930

  • Work on this object ended.

1956

  • We acquired this object.

2013

2024

  • You found it!

Wood Block (France)

This is a Wood block. It is dated 1925–30 and we acquired it in 1956. Its medium is wood, brass. It is a part of the Wallcoverings department.

Woodblock printing is one of the earliest techniques used for wallpaper. Blocks made of layered fruitwood, to minimize warping, have raised printing surfaces that are either carved into the wood or applied onto it. Each color is printed using a separate block, building pigments up in successive layers.

Its dimensions are

54.5 x 48 x 4 cm (21 7/16 x 18 7/8 x 1 9/16 in.)

It is inscribed

Written on verso: Made in France / #35

Cite this object as

Wood Block (France); wood, brass; 54.5 x 48 x 4 cm (21 7/16 x 18 7/8 x 1 9/16 in.); 1956-166-1

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If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18407533/ |title=Wood Block (France) |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=26 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>