FREAK WALL PAPERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7607, 17 January 1903, Page 2

FREAK WALL PAPERS.

That Adorn the dooms of Odleto&teA People. U.0.U.) __ Everyone has heard of a now famous journalist who possesses a study, the walls of which ore papered with those' little leaflets, alasl only too well known to many members of the profession, bearing the "thanks and regrets" of innumerable editorial departments ; so it will not be surprising to many of our readers if we inform them that there are many other people. in different professions who, now that success is theirs, have taken a leaf out of the book of the gentleman in question and papered the walls of their sittingrooms and studies in fantastic and often incomprehensible fashions. For 'instance, Madame Christine Nilsson has two roctns in her house, in one of Which the walls are papered "with leaves of music taken from the operas in which the greab songstress has appeared, while the walls of the other are covered with the receipted bills of divers dinners 'partaken of by her In various places wherein she has been resident. Doiibtless these two rooms are more pleasant to their* owner than the smoking-room of an American actor, whose walls are covered with press criticisms. Those that are of on adverse nature are framed in a blue border, while those of a laudatory character are similarly surrounded in red. Judging from the predominance of blue, it would seem that the gentleman in question was not always the success in his particular line of business that he is to-day. Down Putney way there is a house that boasts of a room papered with stamps of all nationalities • and an inn at Bognor has a room with a similar mural decoration. Noarly a million stamps were used iv the latter instance, and they took four years to oollect. The Tenderloin Club of New York boasts many rooms fantastically wall-papered. In one- room 6000 playing cards adorn the walls, while in another countless theatre passes do duty for wall-paper. Champagne corks do a similar duty for another room, and dance programmes very prettily embellish the ballHoom walls. Great Portland Street boasts a restaurant wherein is a room called " the autograph roomj" from the fact that on different occasions the guest 3 present wrote their names on the walls — the guests in question having all been celebrities in the artistic and musical or dramatic worlds. The. proprietor has taken the precaution of preserving the autographs by* means of glass plates, thereby showing that lie is a man of business, for many of the writers were famous individuals, and hold a place* 'in history ; for the names of Mascagni, G. B. Sims, PeUigrini, Snlasate, Phil May, Paderewski, Tosti, Melbu, M. Daupier and Mdlle Chaminade are worth preserving. The young American heiress who received more than her fair share of proposals and love letters from her admirers hii upon the idea of utilising them as a sort of dado for her afternoon tea apartment, and has thereby made this a most exhilarating function, the various writings 'being narrowly scrutinised by the hostess's girl friends, not altogether out of idle curiosity, for .it must in fairnesß be stated that all the signatures and addresses have been carefully erased from the letters.