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Multiculturalism and Social Work | San Francisco State University

IMAGINING AMERICA IN 1834: ZUBER S SCENIC WALLPAPER VUES D AMERIQUE DU NORD.

Author: Emlen, Robert P.
Author Background:
Date 1/1/97
Type Journal
Journal Title: Winterthur Portfolio
Volume/Pages 32(2)p.189-210
Publisher
Subject Matter African American
Population
Pedagogies
Abstract Jean Zuber et Cie commissioned a panoramic wallpaper of 19th-century America (Vues d Amérique du Nord) that would come to symbolize to the world the vision of JacksonianAmerica. Introduced in 1834, the work was designed by Jean-Julien Deltil (1791-1863) and based on his travels and the writings and travels of Jacques-Gérard Milbert (1766-1840). Includedin the design are city scenes of Boston and New York, natural wonders such as Niagara Falls, and scenes of American life and innovation, such as side-wheeled steamboats. Deltil portrayed freeAfrican Americans engaged in middle-class, refined activities in fine attire. Disappointed in the realities of life for Native Americans, Deltil chose to portray them engaged in traditionalpractices and activities, unusual for early-19th-century artists. Both Milbert and Deltil generally saw Americans as nearly devoid of the class and racial inequalities of Europeans. Both men wereresponsible for the dissemination of this idea into popular Western culture.
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