Old Wallpaper Rolls

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone had an idea what these items. I have four lamps that were made out of old wallpaper rolls. They are the ones that were used to print wall paper back in the old days. I also have two smaller wallpaper rolls that are not lamps.

Attached are some pictures.

Thanks,

David

 

I know that they are used as decorator items, but that's obvious from their use in lamps. No idea of value.

 

I really like them as lamp bases. In fact, I'm entranced by the thought of them as a dressing table or bedside lamp. I can also see using them as "side" lamps (wall hung) beside a large wall-mounted mirror in a nice (fancy?) bathroom/powder room.

How tall are they and how big around and about how much do they weigh?

Would I be correct in thinking that wallpaper pattern rollers can vary in circumference and length depending on the wallpaper pattern repeat and width of the wallpaper?

 

Hi,
These were very popular in the 60s. I had one that went to the first ex.
greg

 

Yup - as Greg said. Into the 70's as well. All kinds of pieces and parts came out of old factories and got repurposed as decorative items - spindles and shuttles from the textile industry in New England that went kaput, for example. There was an old warehouse in Bridgeport? CT where Hubby #1 and I would always stop on our way to or from NY to see what kind of strange things had shown up.

 

OP, call them rollers or printing rollers, to me, rolls means rolls of paper.

 

When they're flat, they're called "print blocks." I'm not sure what the standard terminology is for the rollers, but I'd probably call them "cylindrical print blocks."

 

Pat and afantiques,

Thank you for the idea of what to call them.

I have a printing block as well and have added the pictures of those that I received from my mom last night

 

Here are the printing blocks...

 

I'm not sure on the circumference or length. Based on my memory (the last time I saw all of them was 2009) they are different circumferences. The first lamp set is the same length. The ones that are lamps are pretty heavy. Whether the wiring in them still works or not I'm not sure.

They are with my mom in the US, so it's hard to get much information. I may have to ask her these questions and wait for an answer this weekend.

 

What unique pieces.

 

It's just a hunch, but I have a feeling the flat block was used to print fabric rather than wallpaper. Could be true of the cylindrical ones, too.

 

I know the cylinders came from a wall-paper factory. My grandfather was a salesman at the company they came from. I'm almost sure the flat block was as well, but not 100%.

 

Ah, gotcha on the cylinders.

I have trouble seeing the flat block as a wallpaper pattern, but could easily see it as a fabric pattern. But that doesn't mean there weren't wallpapers that looked like that.

 

Greg - I also had one and my ex got it.

 

So how would I go about figuring out what they are work?