The Aesthetic Movement & Some Victorian Wallpaper

I found an old crate of wallpaper rolls from an 1880s Victorian house at a local estate. Many were in the vivid reds and golds so associated with the era. But a lot were more subtle and still "timeless" in their design and colors. The style was from the Aesthetic Movement, a style less widely regarded than Art Nouveau or Art Deco, but in my opinion equally impressive. It was popular in the late 19th century and draws from a Japanese influence, combining geometric shapes with animals and plants from nature. I highly recommend reading about James McNeill Whistler's Peacock Room if you are interested in this style.


Below you will find a fragment of my Aesthetic wallpaper, which I have digitized just for you. It is repeatable and looks awesome just about anywhere.

Researching Antique Photos - Rouen, France Mystery Church

I found these two antique photos in a circa 1920s album (top left). They were both marked "Rouen Cathedral." Now, it might have fooled Aunt Maude flipping through it 90 years ago, but looking closely these are clearly NOT the same church.

While researching to keyword Rouen Cathedral (the one on the left), I came across this image (center) from here which showed me the mystery church was within sight of the Rouen Cathedral. That's a big clue.

Using the satellite images at Google maps, I went looking for that large round courtyard in the vicinity of Rouen Cathedral. I found it after a few minutes. My mystery church is the Church of St. Ouen (top right). It is very satisfying to discover the solution to a historic puzzle like this.

The album also contained this image (left) of the Church of St. Vincent, which was destroyed in 1944 by German bombs in World War II. All that remains now is a stone arch in the town.