Forgotten Arts: Wall Stenciling

Library Journal

Wall stenciling first became popular in the early 19th-century United States when rural New Englanders, admiring the expensive imported wallpapers then available only to the wealthy, attempted to replicate wallpaper designs by applying paint through patterns of holes cut out of heavy paper, leather, or tin. This modestly priced introduction to wall stenciling was first published in 1977 as The Art and Craft of Wall Stenciling and has been revised to update information on stenciling tools and materials. Unfortunately, while Bacon presents a good mix of both historical and do-it-yourself information, the small black-and-white photographs that make up the bulk of the illustrations do not effectively convey the delicate beauty of traditional stencil work. Stencil designs included have been reduced to half size, a further inconvenience. Consider for public libraries where price is an overriding concern. Otherwise, Sandra Buckingham's Stenciling: A Harrowsmith Guide (Camden House, 1989)no LJ -KRAD would be a better choice.-- Janice Zlendich, California State Univ. Lib., Fullerton