Altona, C. Wilhelm Iven, ca. 1930. Folio (28.5 x 23.0 cm). Title page in black and blue, [iv] pp.; Full colour leaves of wallpaper, often with separate, matching borders. Limp boards printed in pink and black.

An extremely rare and wonderful combination of a fine catalogue showing samples of wallpaper, ceiling paper and patterns for carpets, and a manifesto on modern design as made possible by the invention of new dyes. In the rear two leaves with mounted pochoir ornaments, heightened with gold. A Dutch price list is mounted on rear pastedown. The firm, Wilhelm Iven, was active in Altona, near Hamburg, during the turn of the 20th century until WWII. Friedrich Wilhelm Iven was widely known as 'Tapetenkönig' [carpet king]. Shortly after WWI, another carpet factory was added to their conglomerate of interior decoration factories. The present work combines theoretical and practical sides of interior decorating, an approach that made the firm very successful. Light age-wear; small chip in the lower margin of the front wrapper; a few smudges to the rear wrapper; several leaves with scattered, light foxing; otherwise, an excellent copy. Extremely rare. We found no records of this work - even the title is nowhere to be found on the internet.