In 1937, Dorothy and Clifford Waterhouse bought the Captain Jimmy Fish house on Cape Cod, circa 1799. During the renovation, Dorothy uncovered seven layers of wallpaper. The early layers were hand-blocked prints, some with the royal (English/French) seals and tax stamps intact on the back of the wallpaper. Dorothy became entranced by the many layers of lovely designs with charming colorways. For many years thereafter, Dorothy Waterhouse visited old New England homesteads, searching beneath layers of wallpaper or paint as well as attics, trunks and old boxes, for fragments of original wallhangings. Many documentary papers were found with exquisite original colors and designs. Since many were created before the Machine Age, they were often painted completely by hand, stenciled or printed using hand-carved wood blocks. The colors used were of home-mixed pigments, and the designs superb examples of grace in composition.

Our collection contains many authentic reproductions of original wallpapers that were first used in the United States, circa 1700-1895. During these years, sea captains returning from trading in France, England and Asia brought back handmade papers. These were designed by true artists, who excelled in the creation and painting of wall hangings. Many of their designs were inspired by the valuable brocades and tapestries which adorned the homes of wealthy nobles and merchants. These imported papers were mainly sold in New England seaport cities and towns.

Our sister company, Thomas Strahan Collection, is the oldest, modern-day wallpaper company in America having been founded in 1866. They started selling mostly imported wallpapers in Boston, and several years later, Thomas Strahan started manufacturing their own wallpaper collection, eventually creating over 12,000 designs.

What started out as a passionate hobby, became a business in the late 1940s. Dorothy had a knock on the door from an artist, Binnie Wilson, who was sent by Warner Wallpaper out of Chicago to search New England for colonial designs that she could reproduce. After months of scouring New England looking for documents, Dorothy Waterhouse was recommended. Dorothy was initially reluctant about reproducing her documents commercially, but was eventually convinced. Warner Wallpaper issued two collection books: the first collection book was introduced in 1950 and was titled, Waterhouse Documentary Collection of Wallpaper and Matching Fabrics. The second book was introduced in the mid- to late 1950s and was titled, The Waterhouse Collection by Dorothy Waterhouse for the Warner Company. The first one was based on the recoloring of Dorothy’s original documents and print/distribution by Warner Wallpaper. Dorothy’s third collection book was released in the Fall of 1959 and was comprised of 13 designs. This specific book was produced by Katzenbach and Warren with coordinating fabric produced by Greeff Fabrics. We are unsure of when Dorothy was introduced to Katzenbach and Warren, but Bernard Scott, who eventually partnered with Dorothy, was the New England manager for Katzenbach and Warren. There is a very good chance they became acquainted, and Bernard, an artist, most likely convinced Dorothy to do the third collection book with Katzenbach and Warren. It appears that Bernard and Dorothy were partners beginning in the 1960s, while Bernard remained senior manager at Katzenbach and Warren.

As Bernard became more enmeshed in Waterhouse, he began recoloring various designs and printing wallpaper stock. The next eight collection books were released, initially through the partnership of Dorothy and Bernard Scott and then later by Bernard individually when Dorothy retired around 1977. The first 7 books (Volume IV released in 1974 and Volume V released in 1978) were printed and assembled by Waterhouse and the primary distribution of the collection books was through Katzenbach and Warren (continuation until Katzenbach and Warren was sold to the Imperial Home Decor Group (IHDG). Bernard worked closely with commission surface-printers like Vogue Prints and Thomas Strahan (which both companies completed commission printing for other firms) as well as several silk screen hand-printers. To expand the Waterhouse collection of documents, Thomas Strahan allowed Bernard to run some of the Thomas Strahan Collection designs under the Waterhouse Wallhangings brand. Likewise, Katzenbach and Warren handed over various designs to Bernard to print under the Waterhouse brand.

Through extensive research, Dorothy became a wallpaper expert and started giving guest lectures around the North East. She literally “uncovered” some interesting facts: often early American homes glued newspapers to the rough plaster walls to smooth out the rough plaster as well as act as an insulator and a wallpaper liner.

Over the years, we have enhanced the Waterhouse Wallhangings collection with patterns that are more contemporary in nature as well as stripes, strié and various textures in addition to our archival designs. Therefore, our collection has patterns that will complement any decor.

Waterhouse Wallhangings and Thomas Strahan have been your partner in recreating historic wallpaper and supplying period-appropriate wallpapers since 1908. Click here to view our list of Historic Museum Restorations.

Dorothy Waterhouse

RELATED COLLECTIONS & BRANDS

When Thomas Strahan opened the manufactory in 1885, he took on George A. Smith as his business partner. Thomas Strahan remained president until his death in 1910. (He was also a two-term mayor of Chelsea, MA and served in the Massachusetts Statehouse.) Full ownership passed to George Smith, and he remained with the company for 61 years until his retirement in 1947. Several industry veterans were president of the firm between 1910-1947. Mr. Smiths’ son, Abbot Smith, joined the company after graduating from Harvard in 1918. Rising through the ranks, he became president in 1947. (Abbott Smith was a friend of President Kennedy and when Jackie Kennedy re-decorated the White House Thomas Strahan donated wallpaper.) Chris Weld joined the firm in 1956, apart of the 4th generation of Welds working at Thomas Strahan. In 1965, he was elected President. Paul Chase was elected Vice President and Treasurer in 1965 as well. In 1969, Abbott Smith sold Thomas Strahan to Chris Weld and Paul Chase. They bought several brands in the finished home goods industry. By the late 1990s, Bernard Scott (the owner of Waterhouse Wallhangings and who did most of their wallpaper printing at the Thomas Strahan, Chelsea MA plant) became the sole owner of Thomas Strahan. Bernard Scott put together a new wallpaper book volume entitled: the 115th Anniversary Collection. By 2003, the city block long wood frame structure built by Thomas Strahan in 1903 and containing the five large surface-printing presses (manufactured between 1880 and 1948) were no longer viable. Most of the wallpaper manufacturers in the United States and Canada had dropped the surface-printing presses/technique in favor of newer technologies. Bernard Scott moved most of the surface rollers to one of the very few mills left with surface-printing presses still in operation: Vogue Prints wallpaper mill.

Many of the Waterhouse Wallhangings and Thomas Strahan designs were converted to the hand-printing technique utilizing silk screens. This enabled smaller runs and made custom more affordable. By the late 1990s, Bernard Scott sold Waterhouse Wallhangings to the “Two Jims” (Jim Burke and Jim Early) to be able to concentrate on developing the Thomas Strahan archives and building the commission printing mill business. Waterhouse Wallhangings, with the “Two Jims” at the helm moved the business into the Thomas Strahan mill and worked with Bernard on design work for both Waterhouse and Thomas Strahan. Close to when the Thomas Strahan mill closed, Bernard purchased back the Waterhouse Wallhangings brand. He continued to develop and market the two brands, Waterhouse Wallhangings and The Thomas Strahan Company, until he sold the collections to Lance Houpt in 2008. Lance Houpt continues to develop the extensive archives of both companies, create new artwork and produce new collections, under both the Waterhouse Wallhangings and the Thomas Strahan brands. The Thomas Strahan Collection is spearheaded up by Lance Houpt’s partner Katherine Porter.

Thomas Strahan Company

In 1866, Thomas Strahan began distribution of European wallhangings in the United States. During a trip to Europe, Thomas convinced an English block-printer to emigrate to Boston, and in the early 1880's, he launched his own collection and print-works. The company continued block-printing until labor shortages during World War II made this form of wallpaper printing unfeasible. Most of the 12,000+ designs were printed on either 8- or 12-color surface-printing machines imported from England. At the height of production, they operated 5 surface-printers, the oldest of which being a Waldron Machine manufactured in England during the 1880s. These printing presses were used until the Chelsea Mill closed in 2003.