Photograph
c.1994
The photograph was taken in the hallway of John Wesley's House, during refurbishment works in the early 1990s.
It shows some of the original interior paintwork, after removal of wallpaper on top. The building plans of the house specified that the interior woodwork was to be painted three times in oil in a 'French grey', and a number of the principal rooms were to be ready for 'papering'.
French grey was commonly chosen to paint house interiors in the mid to late 1700s, as it was a cheap and serviceable colour. It was a somewhat indeterminable hue between grey and green and was often used on woodwork and plaster, as in this instance. In Georgian times, only rooms of high status and in better-off households were painted in colours such as yellow, light pink or blue.
c.1994
The photograph was taken in the hallway of John Wesley's House, during refurbishment works in the early 1990s.
It shows some of the original interior paintwork, after removal of wallpaper on top. The building plans of the house specified that the interior woodwork was to be painted three times in oil in a 'French grey', and a number of the principal rooms were to be ready for 'papering'.
French grey was commonly chosen to paint house interiors in the mid to late 1700s, as it was a cheap and serviceable colour. It was a somewhat indeterminable hue between grey and green and was often used on woodwork and plaster, as in this instance. In Georgian times, only rooms of high status and in better-off households were painted in colours such as yellow, light pink or blue.