Under Napoleon III’s rule, Paris underwent a great rebuilding overseen by Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann, which created grand avenues and lavish landmarks like the Paris Opera. Antique Napoleon III–style furniture was flamboyant and eclectic. It was also known as Second Empire style since it followed and referenced the Empire style of his uncle Napoleon I.
Developing from 1852–70, Napoleon III furniture was plush and ornate, matching the fashion for masked balls and socializing in salons. It borrowed freely from earlier French styles including Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI as well as aesthetics from around the world, from antiquity to Asian art. As writer Gustave Claudin remarked in 1867, the country’s architects worked in “a style which one would be tempted to call neo-Greco-Gothico-Pompadour-Pompeian.”
Napoleon III chairs were completely covered with velvet and lined with tassels; pouf footstools invited people to put up their feet. Sofas were upholstered with tapestries, and beds were adorned with gilt bronze and theatrical canopies. The addition of conservatories to homes led to new indoor-outdoor furniture, while the spirit of hygiene promoted by Baron Haussmann inspired bright, floral motifs.
Although the most ostentatious designs were for the elite, as seen in the Napoleon III apartments preserved in the Louvre, where red velvet, gilding and chandeliers create a cacophony of luxury, these trends influenced homes across classes as manufacturing made design increasingly accessible. Papier-mâché furniture allowed for elaborate shapes that would have been difficult to carve in wood. The malleable material was painted with chinoiserie patterns and decorative designs. It was mass-produced by factories such as Jennens and Bettridge with varnishing and mother-of-pearl inlays creating an effect reminiscent of Asian lacquer. (Surfaces that had been “japanned” — a specialty of Jennens and Bettridge — were intended to resemble lacquer work that was created in East Asia.)
Find a collection of antique Napoleon III decorative objects, tables, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Antique-Style Panoramic Wall Mural on Canvas, 19th-Century Inspired
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
This wall mural is inspired by the early nineteenth century and the Comédia del Arte style, reflecting the trompe-l’œil and large-scale panoramic decorations of bourgeois interiors. ...
Canvas, Paper
Bouquet 19th Panoramic Decorative Panel in Vintage-Style
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Bouquet 19th panoramic decorative panel in vintage-style is produced using vintage-style paper, carefully printed, aged, and hand-crumpled before being mounted on canvas. Inspired by...
Canvas, Paper
Antique-Style Panoramic Wall Décor on Canvas, 19th-Century Inspired
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
This panoramic wall décor is inspired by early nineteenth-century designs and recalls the look of antique-style panoramic wallpaper and historical trompe-l’œil murals. Printed on ant...
Canvas, Paper
Antique-Style Panoramic Wall Décor on Canvas, 19th-Century Inspired
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
This panoramic wall décor is inspired by early nineteenth-century panoramas and reflects the look of antique-style panoramic wallpaper and trompe-l’œil decoration. Printed on antique...
Canvas, Paper
19th-Century Antique-Style Panoramic Wall Mural on Canvas
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
This panoramic wall mural is inspired by the 19th century and the Baroque style, reflecting the trompe-l’œil and large-scale panoramic decorations typical of bourgeois interiors. Pri...
Canvas, Paper
Panoramic Floral Wall Décor on Canvas, 19th Century Style
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Panoramic floral wall décor inspired by the 19th century, printed on antique-style paper and mounted on canvas. This decorative panoramic wall covering draws on trompe-l’œil effects ...
Canvas, Paper
$2,379 / item
Panoramic Decorative Wall Panel in Antique Style
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
This panoramic decorative wall panel in antique-style is produced on vintage-style paper, carefully printed, aged, and hand-crumpled before being mounted on canvas. Inspired by early...
Canvas, Paper
Bouquet 19th Panoramic Decorative Panel in Vintage-Style
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Bouquet 19th panoramic decorative panel in vintage-style is produced using vintage-style paper, carefully printed, aged, and hand-crumpled before being mounted on canvas. Inspired by...
Canvas, Paper
$2,216 / item
Panoramic Decorative Wall Panel in Antique-Style
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
This panoramic decorative wall panel in Antique-style is produced on vintage-style paper, carefully printed, aged, and hand-crumpled before being mounted on canvas. Inspired by early...
Canvas, Paper
$1,719Sale Price|35% Off
H 24.02 in W 0.02 in D 0.04 in
19th Century French Hand Painted Wallpaper Frieze Second Empire Era
Located in Sofia, BG
19th century roll of wallpaper frieze in trompe-l'oeil ribbon on an 8-way roll. About 61 m/0.05 cm. useful. Second Empire era, polychrome printing. ...
Paper
$2,240Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 96 in W 36 in D 0.1 in
Chinoiserie Murals Chinoiserie Wallpaper Hand Painted Silk Wallpaper
Located in Wuxi, 32
If you love the look of De Gournay wallpaper but not the price, this is for you. Measures: 42"W x 81" H. The colorways in this sections present our latest colorways, which can be applied to any designs and any base ground (silk, tea paper, metallic, fabric and etc.) Price There are 4 panels in the listed photo, price is for 4 panels of 36" wide x 96" high, background is on silk, currently price doesn't include any embroidery cost, Accept custom requires on the sizes, background and painting colors, tailored to any wall sizes. Dear customer, please note: For safe delivery, all the panels roll in a strong tube. Please have the professional installer to install the wallpapers, there is a standard overlap between panels, and a black dot marked on the top and bottom of each panel, please check well before installing. Shipping We do our best to process & ship all orders...
Silk
$2,339Sale Price|30% Off
H 1.78 in W 0.2 in D 0.01 in
19th Century French Hand Painted Wallpaper, Second Empire Era, E. Muller Style
Located in Sofia, BG
19th century roll of wallpaper, second Empire era, polychrome printing in the style of E. Muller enhanced with gold decorating cartridges with a floral cut of poppies and daisies. M...
Paper
$864Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 60 in W 30 in D 0.1 in
Chinoiserie Panel Hand Painted Wallpaper on Green Silk, 2 Panels
Located in Wuxi, 32
If you love the look of De Gournay wallpaper but not the price, this is for you. Measures: 30" W x 60" H each on green silk. The colorways in this sections present our latest colorways, which can be applied to any designs and any base ground (silk, tea paper, metallic, fabric and etc.) Price There are 2 panels in the listed photo, price is for 2 panels of 30" wide x 60" high each, background is on silk. We accept custom size and painting colors. Price doesn't include the embroidery. Dear customer, please note: For safe delivery, all the panels roll in a strong tube. Please have the professional installer to install the wallpapers, there is a standard overlap between panels, and a black dot marked on the top and bottom of each panel, please check well before installing. Shipping We do our best to process & ship all orders...
Silk
$1,760Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 96 in W 36 in D 0.1 in
Chinoiserie Panels Hand Painted Wallpaper on Blue Silk / Panel- 3 Panels
Located in Wuxi, 32
If you love the look of De Gournay wallpaper but not the price, this is for you. Measures: 3ft x 8ft The colorways in this sections present our...
Silk
$1,328Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 72 in W 21 in D 0.1 in
Chinoiserie Murals Hand Painted Wallpapers on Silk Panel, 4 Panels
Located in Wuxi, 32
If you love the look of De Gournay wallpaper but not the price, this is for you. The colorways in this sections present our latest colorways, which can be applied to any designs an...
Silk
19th Century Beaux Arts Period Mural Style Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
A late 19th century Baroque revival style Beaux Arts period oil on canvas laid down on board. Most likely this was part of a larger mural at one time. Elaborate still life, beautifu...
Canvas
$2,224Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 96 in W 36 in D 0.1 in
chinoiserie Panels Hand Painted Wallpaper on Blue Silk / Panel, 4 Panels
Located in Wuxi, 32
If you love the look of De Gournay wallpaper but not the price, this is for you. Measures: 3ft x 8ft The colorways in this sections present our...
Silk
$3,280Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 96 in W 36 in D 0.1 in
Chinoiserie Murals Chinoiserie Wallpaper Hand Painted Silk Wallpaper
Located in Wuxi, 32
If you love the look of De Gournay wallpaper but not the price, this is for you. Measures: 42"W x 81" H. The colorways in this sections present our latest colorways, which can ...
Silk
Sample for Hand Painted Panoramic Mural
Located in Wuxi, 32
If you love the look of De Gournay wallpaper but not the price, this is for you. The colorways in this sections present our latest colorways, w...
Paper
$2,160Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 96 in W 36 in D 0.1 in
Blue Chinoiserie Mural Hand Painted Floral Wallpapers on Silk, 4 Panels
Located in Wuxi, 32
If you love the look of De Gournay wallpaper but not the price, this is for you. The colorways in this sections present our latest colorways, which can be applied to any designs and any base ground (silk, tea paper, metallic, fabric and etc.) Price There are 4 panels in the listed photo, price is for 4 panels of 36" wide x 96" high, background is on silk. We accept custom size and painting colors. Price doesn't include the embroidery. Dear customer, please note: For safe delivery, all the panels roll in a strong tube. Please have the professional installer to install the wallpapers, there is a standard overlap between panels, and a black dot marked on the top and bottom of each panel, please check well before installing. Shipping We do our best to process & ship all orders...
Silk
$4,799Sale Price|20% Off
H 117 in W 54 in D 0.5 in
19th Century Aubusson Tapestry, Handmade, Ivory, Taupe, Cream
Located in Port Washington, NY
Aubusson tapestry is tapestry manufactured at Aubusson, in the upper valley of the Creuse in central France. The term often covers the similar products made in the nearby town of Felletin, whose products are often treated as "Aubusson". The industry had probably developed since soon after 1300 in looms in family workshops, perhaps already run by the Flemings that are noted in documents from the 16th century. Aubusson tapestry of the 19th century managed to compete with the royal manufacture of Gobelins tapestry and the privileged position of Beauvais tapestry, although generally regarded as not their equal. As with Flemish and Parisian tapestries...
Wool
Sold
H 102.37 in W 354.34 in D 0.4 in L 102.37 in
Panoramic Grisaille Wall Décor on Canvas, 19th Century Style
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Panoramic grisaille wall décor inspired by the early 19th century, printed on antique-style paper and mounted on canvas. This panoramic wall covering belongs to the tradition of deco...
Canvas, Paper
19th-Century Antique-Style Panoramic Wall Mural on Canvas
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
This panoramic wall mural is inspired by the 19th century and the Baroque style, reflecting the trompe-l’œil and large-scale panoramic decorations typical of bourgeois interiors. Pri...
Canvas, Paper
Sold
H 98.43 in W 511.82 in D 0.4 in
19th-Century Antique-Style Panoramic Wall Mural on Canvas – Grand Baroque
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
This panoramic wall mural is inspired by the 19th century and the Baroque style, reflecting the trompe-l’œil and large-scale panoramic decorations typical of bourgeois interiors. Pri...
Canvas, Paper
19th-Century Antique-Style Panoramic Wall Mural on Canvas
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
This panoramic wall mural is inspired by early 19th-century decorative traditions, echoing the trompe-l’œil and grand panoramic landscapes used in bourgeois interiors. Printed on ant...
Canvas, Paper
Sold
H 118.12 in W 140.16 in D 0.4 in
Antique-Style Panoramic Wall Décor on Canvas, 19th-Century Inspired
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
This panoramic wall décor is inspired by early nineteenth-century designs and recalls the look of antique-style panoramic wallpaper and historical trompe-l’œil murals. Printed on ant...
Canvas, Paper
Rare Full Set of a Castle Wall Tapestries, France, 19th Century
Located in Paris, FR
Rare full set of 4 wall tapestries from Libourne Castle. These tapestries have almost the same height, which makes it possible to reconstitute a long 5 meters wall decor, a full 4 wa...
Wool, Jacquard
19th Century Three Wallpapers the Three Continents
Located in Peyraud, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Set of three allegorical wallpapers representing three continents: Asia, Africa and Europe. Asia is wearing a sumptuous dress adorned with embroidery, a feathered turban and jewels. A camel, her animal attribute, is lying behind her. Africa is a young woman wearing a cornucopia, symbol of the Nile and the feeder rivers of Africa. At her feet, the bow used for hunting and an elephant tusk. She is standing in an exotic landscape with a lion, her attribute. Europe wears the crown, the sceptre and the shield. The horse behind her refers to Ancient Greece and to the equestrian art, that is intimately linked to the nobility and the military world. Europe is the symbol of arts and sciences whose attributes are scattered at her feet. The crown, sceptre and armour evoke the european authority and political power, circa 1850 Dimension: W 39.4 in, D .8in, H: 30.7in. Dimension: L 100cm, P 2cm, H 78cm. Literature The allegory of the 4 continents...
Paper