Lincrusta is a deeply embossed wallcovering, invented by Frederick Walton. Walton was already known for patenting

linoleum Linoleum is a floor covering made from materials such as solidified linseed oil (linoxyn), Pine Resin, pine resin, ground Cork (material), cork dust, sawdust, and mineral fillers such as calcium carbonate, most commonly on a Hessian fabric, hes ...

floor covering in 1860. Yarwood, Doreen (1990) "The Domestic Interior: Technology and the Home" pp. 902-948 ''In'' McNeil, Ian (editor) (1990) ''Encyclopedia of the History of Technology'' Routledge, London, page 905, Bush, Akiko (2010) "An Introduction to Modern Textiles: The Wrong Impression" ''Dwelling'' 10(5): pp. 120-126, page 122 Lincrusta was launched in 1877 and was used in a host of applications from royal homes to railway carriages. Many examples over a hundred years old can still be found throughout the world. Commonly found in Victorian properties and restoration projects, Lincrusta is also frequently used in commercial projects such as hotel foyers, bars, restaurants and casinos. Notable installations included six staterooms on the ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

'', and in the United States the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

, the Winchester Mystery House and Roseland Cottage in Woodstock, Connecticut, where it has been completely restored and is on view to the public.

History

Lincrusta was originally manufactured in

Sunbury-on-Thames Sunbury-on-Thames, known locally as Sunbury, is a town on the north bank of the River Thames in the Borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, England, southwest of central London. Historically part of the county of Middlesex, in 1965 Sunbury and other su ...

until 1918 when the manufacturing was moved to

Darwen Darwen is a market town and civil parish in the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The residents of the town are known as "Darreners". The A666 road, A666 road passes through Darwen towards Blackburn to the north, Bolton to ...

, Lancashire. The first production of Lincrusta in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

was in 1883 in

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...

. There were also factories built in 1880 at Pierrefitte, France, and by 1889 in

Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, Italy, and by 1898 in Milan Linoleum Compani Milan. Lincrusta is now produced in

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe Bay, part of the Irish Sea. In 2011 the parish had a population of 34,768. Name The first use of the name was by John Whit ...

, Lancashire using traditional methods. Heritage Wallcoverings Ltd acquired the Lincrusta operating assets in July 2014.

Production and characteristics

Lincrusta is made from a paste of gelled

linseed oil Linseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil or flax oil (in its edible form), is a colorless to yellowish oil obtained from the dried, ripened seeds of the flax plant (''Linum usitatissimum''). The oil is obtained by pressing, sometimes followed by ...

and

wood flour Sawdust (or wood dust) is a by-product or waste product of woodworking operations such as sawing, sandpaper, sanding, Milling (machining), milling and Router (woodworking), routing. It is composed of very small chips of wood. These operations ...

spread onto a paper base. It is then rolled between steel rollers, one of which has a pattern embossed upon it.Campbell, Gordon (editor) (2006) "Lincrusta" ''The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts'' volume 1, Oxford University Press, New York
page 41
The linseed gel continues to dry for many years, so the surface gets harder over time. Both oil-based and water-based paints can be applied to Lincrusta; therefore, it can provide a base for effects from simple colour washes or marbling,

scumbling A glaze is a thin transparent or semi-transparent layer on a painting which modifies the appearance of the underlying paint layer. Glazes can change the chroma, value, hue and texture of a surface. Glazes consist of a great amount of binding me ...

, and glazing, to more elaborate

gilding Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...

and vert de mer treatments.

History

Production and characteristics

See also

References

Further reading