Due to the shortage of paper in the South, individuals used a wide range of paper materials to create envelopes for mailing letters. Covers that depict such uses are called “Adversity Covers”. These covers are known to be made from paper bags, business forms, receipts, train schedules, advertising announcements, bank checks, maps and almost anything else that one can imagine.
Wallpapers Covers are considered a very desirable subset of Adversity Covers. Just like it sounds, people repurposed rolls of unused wallpaper to create homemade covers to send their letters. Typically, the colorful patterns were folded to the inside so the backside could be used for addressing the envelope. When these covers are displayed by collectors, they are normally folded opened, at least on one edge, to show the pattern. Covers showing bright colors or elaborate patterns are considered more desirable.
Below is a Wallpaper Cover that has the upper left corner folded down for display. On this specific cover the floral design shows thru on the entire cover but this is not always the case. It is possible to find multiple covers that appear to use the same wallpaper. This is the case with the “Middleton Correspondence” of which this cover belongs to.
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