The East India companies started trading in the 17th century and by the beginning of the 18th century Europe was fascinated
by all things from the orient. European artists started to go to the Orient and paint watercolours and publish books of hand-coloured aquatints, which enabled people to see for the first time the man-made structures as well as the flora and fauna and landscapes of the East. Around 1700 the first wallpapers were bought back from China by the East India Company and soon became
known as 'India' papers.
Between then and the early 19th century most of the crowned heads of Europe had created their own Chinese interiors to house the collecti*** of Far Eastern artefacts brought back by the East India Company and other traders and adventurers. Drottningholm, The Brighton P***ilion, Sans Souci, Schloss W?rlitz, Charlottenburg and Oranienbaum are some of the palaces where you can still see these wonderful papers.