Les vues d’amerique du nord
By Bryna Jekogian and Katie Krebs
Scenes of America
History on the Wall
In 1834, the first copy of the wallpaper “Les Vues d’Ameríque du Nord,” which translates to “Views of North America,” was printed in France. Since then, this grand 49 feet long wallpaper has served as a depiction of early American life and hangs on the walls of numerous elite and powerful institutions.
Deltil’s References
The artist of the wallpaper Jean-Jacque Deltil never visited North America, so he based his drawings on reference sources. His depiction of a man bowing in the panel “New York Bay” is based off the racist etching titled “Life in Philadelphia,” which was part of a series of racist caricatures that mocked the manners of the Black middle class.
Deltil relied heavily on Jacques Gérard Milbert’s book Itinéraire Pittoresque, which describes the landscape of North America in pictures and words and was based on Milbert’s extensive travels to America.
Deltil closely copied the images Milbert provided, but added his own details of racial integration to idealize the reality of the new republic. (source: Emlen)
“Naomi” by Cara Romero
Romero creates a far more accurate and meaningful depiction of Native American culture in her work “Naomi” (2017), which is exhibited at the Wellin Museum at Hamilton College.
archival pigment print (image source: Wellin Museum)
The “Les Vues” wallpaper elicits mixed reactions. Some revere it for its inclusion of Black and Native Americans in art in a time where this was rare. Recently, large numbers of people have been coming out against the wall paper for its racist depictions.
Institutions are now figuring out how to deal with the presence of this wallpaper in their halls. Will they remove it? Will they add context so people can understand history better? Will it be used as a teaching implement?
Hamilton College
Eels Residence Hall has housed the wallpaper since 1928. There is currently a committee composed of various members of the Hamilton community who are discussing what to do about the wallpaper. They have yet to reach a conclusion.
The decision about what to do with a controversial wallpaper holds much weight. To some, its presence is a physical reminder of institutional racism.
University of Virginia’s Memorial to Enslaved Laborers
Enslaved laborers are foundational to the building of the UVA campus. Their work was finally recognized in 2020 when a memorial was built after intense deliberation and planning on the part of committees, architecture boards, students, and college administrators. The memorial is meant to address the devastating past of the university. UVA’s commitment to getting feedback from different groups should serve as inspiration for other institutions currently addressing their past and present racism.
Brown University
Then: The wallpaper covers a hallway of the Nightingale-Brown house, which is registered as a national historical landmark.
Now: Computer panels provide historical context and white boards hang over the wallpaper in controversial areas. Students write their thoughts.
The White House
Then: Jackie Kennedy installed this wallpaper in 1960.
Now: It still serves as a defining element of the Diplomatic Reception room. The Obamas even took their presidential portraits in front of the decor.
The Spence School
Then: Spence hung a 1920s edition of the wallpaper in a hallway within their lower school.
Now: Students and faculty urged the administration to remove the wallpaper for twenty years. In 2020, it was finally removed.
Further Reading
- What To Do About A Room With A “Vues”? The New Yorker
- Brown University’s account of their history with “Les Vues d’Ameríque du Nord” Brown University
- The U.S. Capitol is Filled with Racist Depictions of Native Americans. It’s Time for Them to Go, Time Magazine
- Indigenous artist in residence draws on heritage, family in creative works, activism, The Brown Daily Herald
Bibliography
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Goodale, Nathan. “Interview with Hamilton College Dean of Faculty: Nathan Goodale.” Interview by Bryna Jekogian and Katie Krebs. May 4, 2023. Audio, 31:12.
Hamilton College Archives. “Campus Building and Renovation Chronology.” Hamilton College, Accessed March 30, 2023.
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Tator, Carol, Frances Henry, and Winston Mattis. Challenging Racism in the Arts: Case Studies of Controversy and Conflict. University of Toronto Press, 1998.
Thompson, Erin. “The U.S. Capitol Is Filled With Racist Depictions of Native Americans. It’s Time for Them to Go.” Time Magazine, February 8, 2022. https://time.com/6143574/us-capitol-native-americans-racist-paintings-sculptures/.
Velut, Christine. “Between Invention and Production: The Role of Design in the Manufacture of Wallpaper in France and England at the Turn of the Nineteenth Century.” Journal of Design History 17, no. 1 (2004): 55–69. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3527224.
White, Mira. “Indigenous artist in residence draws on heritage, family in creative works, activism.” The Brown Daily Herald, November 27, 2022.
