They were incorporated into residential living rooms and parlors as well as schools, hospitals and commercial businesses where painted tin was often used as wainscoting. Tin ceilings were traditionally painted white to give the appearance of hand-carved or molded plaster. Tin ceiling in a private music room, Queensland, Australia, 1906 In his articles, "The Art and Craft of the Machine" and "In the Cause of Architecture," the series published by Architectural Record, Wright elaborates on his modern theory of science and art and the role of the machine in the future of art. Someone who saw the merit of this modern machine for its artistic potential was Frank Lloyd Wright. The top tool, or "ram," was lifted up by a rope or chain, then dropped down onto the bottom die, smashing into the metal that was underneath and permanently embedding intricate patterns into the tin. Using this method of production, metal was sandwiched between two interlocking tools. Sheets of tin were stamped one at a time using rope drop hammers and cast iron molds. At that time, Wheeling Corrugating was a large steel mill that also made products from their steel sheets such as roofing and siding. The Wheeling Corrugating Company out of Wheeling, West Virginia, became the leading tin ceiling manufacturer in the late 1800s. Copper, lead (known as ternplate) and zinc were other common architectural metals in the industry.īetween 18, approximately forty-five companies in the United States marketed metal ceilings most were in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York, located along railroad lines that served as the main routes for delivering the pressed metal products directly to contractors. Tinplate was not the only sheet metal used to make stamped ceilings. Later, steel replaced iron as the more cost-effective solution. Tinplate was originally made from dipping iron in molten tin in order to prevent rust. It was during the late Victorian era that thin rolled tin-plate was being mass-produced. They encapsulated ideas of democracy, making such decoration available to the middle class majority who supported the machine production.ĭecorative metal ceilings were first made of corrugated iron sheets, appearing in the United States by the early 1870s. Nevertheless, tin ceilings lasted longer than plaster ones and were easier to clean. These critics believed it was morally wrong and deceptive to imitate another material and blamed the degradation of society towards the "art of shamming" rather than honesty in architecture. Important critics such as John Ruskin, George Gilbert Scott, Charles Eastlake and William Morris debated the implications of faux materials. Durable and lightweight, tin ceilings were appealing to home and business owners alike as a functionally attractive design element that was readily available. They gained popularity in the late 1800s as Americans sought sophisticated interior design. Tin ceilings were introduced to North America as an affordable alternative to the exquisite plasterwork used in European homes. They were also popular in Australia where they were commonly known as pressed metal ceilings or Wunderlich ceilings (after the main Australian manufacturer Wunderlich). Pressed tin ceiling over a store entrance in Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A.Ī tin ceiling is an architectural element, consisting of a ceiling finished with plates of tin with designs pressed into them, that was very popular in Victorian buildings in North America in the late 19th and early 20th century.
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