Zuber Gallery

The most prominent feature of this gallery, which was the former bedroom of the eldest Smith daughter, is the Zuber wallpaper, named for the French company Zuber & Cie who produced the handmade wallpaper. The pattern, entitled Décor Chinois (Chinese decoration) was designed in 1832. The panoramic scene features 10 screws (or panels) to complete the full panoramic scene and 57 colors in total. The wallpaper is “printed on the plank” (woodblock print) with the 387 wooden boards carved in 1832 by the workers of Zuber. Zuber paper is still printed in this manner, and the perpetuation of this printing technique and use of the old material give the Zuber panoramic decoration the rank of a true work of art.

The museum experienced a fire in 2002 which destroyed many rooms throughout the house, specifically on the second floor where the fire started. This damage including the original wallpaper in the Zuber gallery. Fortunately, the original woodblocks are classified as Historic Monuments by the Ministry of Culture in France and were available for reprinting the wallpaper during the renovation of the room.

Today, this gallery is used for changing exhibitions.

Photography by Kevin Miyazaki.