American Toile

Brooklyn Toile by Flavor Paper, design by Mike Diamond, Vincent Ficarra and Adela Qersaqi, nolar and canvas vinyl wallpaper, 2012. Photograph courtesy of Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. 

Toile patterned fabrics have been used since the mid-18th century in Britain and France for furnishings and clothing. Today's American designers are retooling this classic, reinventing the traditional pastoral scenery with contemporary interpretations. 

"One of the newest trends in American toile is commemorating a town or city with images of its prominent buildings and bridges, either on fabric or wallpaper ... or both," author Michele Palmer writes in American Toile: Four Centuries of Sensational Scenic Fabrics and Wallpaper. "Homage has been paid to many American cities, but none more so than New York, with over a dozen patterns currently available."

Mike Diamond of the Beastie Boys designed a Brooklyn-themed toile wallpaper (above) for his Cobble Hill brownstone, in collaboration with Vincent Ficarra and Adela Qersaqi of Revolver New York, a boutique design collective. Flavor Paper produced the design as a digitally printed wallpaper--Brooklyn Toile. The vision was to pay tribute to all things Brooklyn in a way that would appear to be a traditional French country toile when viewed from afar, but stepping to the pattern reveals elements and vignettes about Brooklyn: Coney Island, the Bridge, graffiti, and subway cars. 

Toile de Alison by Flat Vernacular, paper, designed by Payton Cosell Turner. Photograph courtesy of Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. 

For her restaurant, Alison Eighteen (a Flatiron spot), Alison Price Becker commissioned a custom biographical toile from designers Payton Cosell Turner and Brian Kaspr of Flat Vernacular, a Brooklyn-based company that specializes in original silk-screened wallpaper created from Turner's sketches. The result is a toile print of scenes of New York, Price Becker herself, people hanging out, and markets. 

The Battle of Buena Vista 1847 by F. Schumacher & Co., glazed cotton, 1952, reproduction of an 1848 print. Photograph courtesy of Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. 

American Toile is a textile story and an essential reference for those seeking an introduction to the subject. Palmer, an independent fabric and fabric art curator, revisits four centuries of toile in the United States, from the 18th- to the 21st-century, observing its evolution into a figurative storytelling medium that depicts the people, events, landmarks, and everyday objects of America. This book examines toile in its many themes and topics: Colonists, the Early Republic, Civil War, country and city life, maritime and leisure activities, and the West. 

"Of all American toile patterns, Western themes have been among the most enduring," writes Palmer. "We never seem to tire of cowboys and cactus and the spirit of rugged individualism they represent. While still producing images of cowboys and their horses, fabric manufacturers have also created a new series of 'happy trails,' where the steeds have turned into cars and the cowboys into tourists." A historical introduction, identification guide and a resource section include antique, vintage, reproduction, and contemporary toile patterns. Illustrated fabrics are drawn from company and museum collections. 

Shore Leave by Flavor Paper, designed by Emily Minnie. Photograph courtesy of Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. 

Owner Jon Sherman runs Flavor Paper, a producer of screen-printed wallpaper, from the company's Cobble Hill base (the Flavor Lab). His artisanal paper incorporates bold color into geometric, traditional, funky, and floral patterns. The Shore Leave toile, designed by Emily Minnie, blends sailors' pin-up girl tattoo art from the 1950s with nautical symbols to create an overall scallop pattern. "I've never been a 'white wall' kind of guy," says Sherman. 

Spring Fever Toile by Lilly Pulitzer, cotton, 2012. Photograph courtesy of Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. 

Lilly Pulitzer starts each season with a bright palette and theme, developing prints and patterns that draw inspiration from Palm Beach, museums and gardens. Designers sketch, block print and watercolor the entire line. Spring Fever Toile is from their Spring 2012 collection, a jade green pattern with pink accents used for skirts, dresses and shorts. The look is colorful and tends to be preppy. 

California Postcard Toile by Hoffman California Fabrics, cotton, 2008. Photograph courtesy of Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. 

This print features vignettes of California destinations in postcard-style images. California Postcard Toile is from the Tropicals and Conversationals collection by Hoffman California Fabrics in Mission Viejo. These are tropical-themed and novelty screen-printed fabrics, often made into resort wear, sundresses, sarongs, board shorts, and camp shirts. Fun prints, many by accomplished artists. 

Toile, the 18th-century classic, is having a contemporary revival. 

American Toile: Four Centuries of Sensational Scenic Fabrics and Wallpaper by Michele Palmer, Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.