Pamela Hemenway Simpson
Published: 1999
Total Pages: 244
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As Simpson shows in fascinating detail, rockface concrete blocks, pressed metal imitations of stone, linoleum "marble" and "parquet," and embossed wall coverings made available to the masses a host of ornamental effects that only the wealthy could previously have afforded. But, she notes, wherever these new materials appeared, a heated debate over the appropriateness of imitation followed. Were these materials merely tasteless shams?