Pineapple, Willow, Flower Spray, Heart
Wherein I go Early American stencil crazy, Part I
Here’s a little snapshot of how this brain works: Back in 2019, I—like a certain flavor/tambour of people—not only watched, but ingested, Greta Gerwig’s retelling of Little Women. My heart will always belong to the 1994/Winona edition, but Gerwig’s production is so rife with period details,1 my eyes and mind are still, four years later, swirling and overwhelmed with what to do with it all. It’s informing the color I want to paint my house and, after a quick door moment (below) and fireplace embellishment (above), it’s manifested a mild (not at all mild) fixation on Early American decorative stenciling. And I have the Pinterest board to prove it.
The one thing I’ve learned digging around about decorative stenciling is that there’s really no end to the research you can do. People get advanced degrees about it. It’s a technique that’s thousands of years old and spans continents. The earliest known example was found in Fiji; stenciling was widely used in China and Japan in and around the 7th century.
As for the Marches! Late in the 17th century, stenciled patterns began appearing on church walls in France and the fad quickly percolated throughout Western Europe, England and the colonies, gaining mass popularity in the beginning of the next century (also showing up on furniture, floor mats, tins, trays, trunks; they really stamped these patterns on any surface in spitting distance!). At the same time, early-ish 18th Century, printed and painted wallpaper was become a popular luxury for those who could afford it, especially in Philadelphia and New York. For those who couldn’t and in more rural places, particularly in New England, hand stenciling became the way to achieve a similar look and a cottage industry of itinerant painters started circulating. The earliest documented examples of these stencils were found in Massachusetts around the time of the Revolutionary War.
One of the biggest names in late 18th to early 19th Century decorative stenciling (lol, what is this blog), was Moses Eaton, Jr. and his father, who, predicably, had the same exact name. They popularized many of the motifs that you may have (?) seen—pineapple, willow, flower spray, hearts. These very coveted motifs were snapped up and reproduced by many. Originally from Hancock, New Hampshire, Eaton and son traveled, stenciling homes during the Federal period (1790-1830), from Needham, Massachusetts all the way up to central Maine, and very likely, I (not a PhD, just a fan) would guess this is where the production design team of the movie found their references!
Reader: Are you, too, starting to feel a little stencil curious? There are loads of references (and advanced degree opportunities) to learn more about it and the various motifs and origins. I’m listing a few below and stay tuned for Part 2, wherein I do a little step-by-step stenciling in my very own New England home.
Books:
Early American Wall Stencils In Color
Early American Stencils on Walls And Furniture
Stenciling: 140 Historical Patterns for Room Decoration
Helpful websites/articles:
Stenciling: A Very Short History of a Very Long Tradition
Early American Stenciling and the Work of Moses Eaton
Colonial Connection makes pre-made historic stencils!
And so does Liberty Design Co., which I maybe like a little better.
Listings
This appears to be an ancient Snoo. Did they know about the 5 S’s in the Victorian era? (Excuse the deeply parental ref here.) (LINK)
Anyone in New Jersey need a great cast iron sink? (LINK)
Coupl’a post and beam cuties for sale in Nice, CA (LINK); Hillsboro, OR (LINK); Beaufort, NC (LINK); Lyme, NH (LINK); Los Gatos, CA (LINK).*
After @minor.works sold the best LL Bean duster before I had a chance to buy it, I entered a deep wormhole to find one for myself. Here are some of my favorites: LINK; LINK; LINK; LINK; LINK; LINK.
*Last week’s real estate roundup format caused some missed links and confusion. Let me know if this format is working better for you, please?
Notes + Updates
I’m now deep pen pals with the fine folks at Risolve Studio in Pennsylvania, who are going to be printing up the COVER, à la Risograph, for the zine. (Nerds: the interior will be regular four color process because of photos.) We’re getting closer and closer to liftoff here at Treehouse HQ and I couldn’t be more thrilled! (I’m really thrilled.)
To be perfectly honest, however, the stenciling detail does also make an appearance in the 1994 version of the movie as well! Must be honest!