“Wall Stories” is organized by Gregory Herringshaw, assistant curator in charge of wallcoverings, and Stephen Van Dyk, director of the National Design Library.

“Wall Stories” will explore the progression of children’s wallpapers from their origin in the 1870s to the present and examine the sociological and technological events that lead up to their introduction as a genre. Since their inception, children’s wallpapers have been strongly influenced by literature and popular culture. Works on view will include papers illustrated with nursery rhymes and designs inspired by works of fiction and adventure, such as “Peter Rabbit,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Cinderella.” The exhibition also will trace the evolution of children’s books from instructional to fictional and include such developments as movable and pop-up books, which added an interactive element to children’s reading.

“This exhibition highlights the range of the museum’s permanent collection and furthers research and connections between collecting departments and the resources of the National Design Library,” said director Paul Warwick Thompson. “Cooper-Hewitt houses the largest and most comprehensive collection of wallcoverings in the United States, and this exhibition allows many outstanding works to be unrolled and displayed for the first time to the general public.”

Wallpaper motifs have always followed the social movements and aesthetic trends of the times, and popular culture has remained an important influence on their design. The talents of many well-known artists and designers also have informed and shaped children’s wallpaper designs, from children’s book illustrators, such as Walter Crane and Beatrix Potter to artists like Cecil Aldin and William Wegman.

While wallpaper has been used in interior decoration for approximately 300 years, wallpapers designed specifically for children were only introduced in the second half of the 19th century. The earliest works designed for children had strong religious and moral overtones. Among the earliest children’s papers in the collection are the 1870s sidewalls “Pilgrim’s Progress” and “Robinson Crusoe,” which are based on literary works and illustrate these tales of moral discipline and adventure. Wallpapers designed later in the 19th century with imagery from Kate Greenaway’s books showed children properly coiffed and accessorized, stressing the importance of good behavior.

In keeping with the social mores of the time, wallpapers produced in the 20th century were often lighter in tone and featured more engaging content. Favorite children’s characters from literature and, later, comic strips were used to illustrate wallpapers. Highlights of the works on view in this section include wallcoverings featuring Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan, which were first illustrated in children’s novels and later popularized in cartoons. Also on view will be wallpapers inspired by comic strip legends Popeye and Dick Tracy, alongside related pop-up books from the 1930s, including “Dick Tracy: The Capture of Boris Arson” and “Popeye with the Hag of the Seven Seas.” Other popular works of the time showcase leisure-time activities and cultural fads, including a 1948 “Cowboys and Indians” wallpaper and a “Cowboys in pop-up action pictures” book from 1951.

Wallpapers for children are still designed today to educate and amuse. “Frames,” an interactive wallcovering by Graham & Brown that was recently acquired by Cooper-Hewitt, consists of freely drawn picture frames on a white ground, which enable children to create their own unique space by coloring in the frames.

“Wall Stories: Children’s Wallpaper and Books” is made possible in part by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. Additional support is provided in part by The Liman Foundation and The Walt Disney Company. -- www.cooperhewitt.org