{{Short description|19th century wall covering}} [[Image:Roseland Cottage (Bowen Cottage) - Lincrusta Walton detail.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Lincrusta wall covering, Roseland Cottage]] [[Image:Byzantinepatternlincrusta.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Detail of ''Byzantine'' pattern Lincrusta wall covering]] '''Lincrusta''' is a deeply embossed wallcovering, invented by Frederick Walton. Walton was already known for patenting linoleum floor covering in 1860.<ref name="Yarwood">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, {{ISBN|0-415-01306-2}}</ref><ref name="Bush">Bush, Akiko (2010) "An Introduction to Modern Textiles: The Wrong Impression" ''Dwelling'' 10(5): pp. 120-126, page 122</ref> 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,<ref name="Bush" /> Lincrusta is also frequently used in commercial projects such as hotel foyers, bars, restaurants and casinos. Notable installations included six staterooms on the ''Titanic'', and in the United States the White House, the Winchester Mystery House<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/explore-the-house/curiosities/|title = Gallery}}</ref> and Roseland Cottage in Woodstock, Connecticut, where it has been completely restored and is on view to the public.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://lincrusta.com/TheHistoryofLincrusta_NotableApplications.Asp|title=Our History}}</ref>
==History==
Lincrusta was originally manufactured in Sunbury-on-Thames<ref name="Campbell" /> until 1918 when the manufacturing was moved to Darwen, Lancashire. The first production of Lincrusta in the United States was in 1883 in Stamford, Connecticut.<ref name="Campbell" /> There were also factories built in 1880 at Pierrefitte, France, and by 1889 in Hannover, Germany, Italy, and by 1898 in Milan Linoleum Compani Milan.
Lincrusta is now produced in Morecambe, 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 and wood flour spread onto a paper base.<ref name="Bush" /> It is then rolled between steel rollers, one of which has a pattern embossed upon it.<ref name="Campbell">Campbell, Gordon (editor) (2006) "Lincrusta" ''The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts'' volume 1, Oxford University Press, New York, [https://books.google.com/books?id=R8BMW6Au7pQC&pg=PA41 page 41], {{ISBN|0-19-518948-5}}</ref> 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, and glazing, to more elaborate gilding and vert de mer treatments.
==See also==
*Anaglypta – alternative embossed wall-covering
{{commons}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== *{{cite thesis |last=Brazil |first=Helena |date=2018 |title=Lincrusta-Walton 1877-1887: The Development, Design and Character of Lincrusta-Walton |publisher=University of Lincoln. |url=http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/34864/|type=Masters }} *Parsons, Ralph (1997) ''From Floor to Ceiling: How One Man's Inventions Brought Fame to Staines and Sunbury'' Spelthorne Museum, Staines, England, {{ISBN|0-9530265-0-7}}
Category:Wallcoverings Category:Flax