The Merryl Huxtable Bursary
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The Wallpaper History Society offers a bursary of up to £1,500 each year to support historical and cultural research and/or developments in period wallcoverings. The bursary prize is offered in memory of Merryl Huxtable, a founder member of the WHS and pioneer in the field of wallpaper conservation.
​In recognition that the need for funds to support research may arise at any time during the year, the Wallpaper History Society will accept applications at any time. Decisions regarding the suitability of applications will be responded to on a case-by-case basis.
Who can apply?
​​Applications are welcomed from graduates involved in projects that explore the history, conservation or development of wallcoverings in the United Kingdom. Researchers based in the UK who have a proven record of publishing work in this or a related field are also eligible. Funds may also be allocated to support new researchers who may not have evidence of previous published work, but who are able to demonstrate commitment to undertake a relevant project or research.
The WHS is committed to supporting research projects which contribute to knowledge in the field. For this reason, the bursary is awarded only for original research based largely on primary sources and/or practical conservation work.
​​What is a Merryl Huxtable award winner expected to produce?
​​Successful applicants will be expected to provide an interim report at the halfway point (usually after the first six months), and at the end of the project they will be required to produce evidence of their work in a suitable format. This may be in the form of an illustrated essay of 3000-4,000 words to be published in the Society’s journal, The Wallpaper History Review. Alternatively, the WHS may consider a record of the work provided in an openly accessible format, such as (but not exclusively) recorded interviews; a database of findings; films of conservation, online talks and presentations or demonstrations of research processes etc. The WHS will hold and share such outcomes as a resource, including through the Society’s website, and the award recipient will be expected to produce an accompanying short report (rather than a 3,000 - 4,000 word essay) outlining the outcomes of the project, to be published in the WHS Review.
​What happens once an application is received?
We will acknowledge receipt of all applications.
All applications are examined by the Society’s Bursary Committee and, as appropriate, by specialist external assessor(s). The panel reserves the right to request more detailed information should this be required.
Successful applicants will receive the first tranche of the bursary as soon as they are informed of their successful application for the award. The final payment of the bursary will be made on receipt of an essay or agreed alternative submission in a timeframe usually to suit the deadline for publication of the WHS journal the Review, or as agreed with the awarding panel.
The decision of the panel is final.
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How to apply
For more information and an application form contact editor@wallpaperhistorysociety.org.uk
Xiaofan Zhang, Merryl Huxtable Award Winner for 2025, talks about the engagement between Chinese wallpaper producers and the British market they served
Tentative Encounters: A Cross-Cultural Study of Saltram's Chinese Dressing Room and Early Chinese Export Wallpaper
This project constitutes a central component of my doctoral research at the University for the Creative Arts, UK, and examines the wallpaper in the Chinese Dressing Room at Saltram House in Devon, owned by the National Trust. Produced between 1750 and 1760, this wallpaper exemplifies an early stage of Chinese export design from the Suzhou production system, distinct from the later, more extensively documented Guangzhou styles. It reflects a specific moment of aesthetic exploration and cross-cultural interaction, during which Chinese producers and British consumers tentatively engaged with each other’s visual and cultural frameworks. Focusing on this period of “tentative encounter,” my research investigates how cultural identities and social expectations shaped the production, circulation, and reception of this material object.
My academic background, shaped by exposure to diverse cultural contexts, has informed my approach to this study. While pursuing a degree in oil painting at Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts in China, I engaged with the histories of both Chinese and Western art. This foundation was expanded through a Master’s degree in Fine Art Practice at Glasgow School of Art, which broadened my understanding of artistic practices. These experiences have led me to undertake doctoral research at the University for the Creative Arts, with a focus on art and cultural studies. In this work, I seek to explore connections between different cultural perspectives, using Chinese wallpaper as a medium to examine historical dialogues.
Chinese wallpaper at Saltram. Photo by the author
This study employs a multidisciplinary methodology, combining archival research, material analysis, and cultural theory to analyse the complexities of the wallpaper’s design and purpose. By studying the relationship between Chinese artisans’ production methods and British consumers’ interpretations, the project aims to clarify how evolving visual expectations were negotiated across cultural boundaries. The results will include academic publications, an online exhibition, and community workshops intended to enhance understanding of early Sino-British artistic interactions.
Detail of Chinese wallpaper at Saltram. Photo by the author
Ultimately, this research contributes to scholarly discussions on globalisation, material culture, and cross-cultural aesthetics by demonstrating how objects like Saltram’s Chinese wallpaper illustrate early global exchanges. It highlights the ways in which art objects can reflect and negotiate cultural differences, offering new perspectives on the history of artistic interaction between East and West.
The research bursary will primarily fund the cost of on-site research visits to Saltram House, Felbrigg Hall, and Belton House, to enable detailed examination of Chinese export wallpapers. These visits are crucial for analysing material composition, production techniques, and regional stylistic variations, and will allow me to engage with National Trust staff to clarify provenance and conservation history. I am grateful to the Wallpaper History Society for their support.
Xiaofan Zhang
Merryl Huxtable Bursary Winner 2024 Louise Atkinson Outlines Her Research Project ‘If Walls Could Talk’
I’m excited to have been awarded the 2024 WHS Merryl Huxtable Bursary to support my practice-based research into the Chinese wallpaper at Harewood House, near Leeds in West Yorkshire. The Chinese wallpaper at Harewood House was originally commissioned for Edwin Lascelles, 1st Baron of Harewood, and hung in the Chintz Bedroom in 1769. During the 19th century, the wallpaper was removed from the walls and stored in an outbuilding. Thankfully, it was later discovered and restored and now hangs in the East Bedroom.
As a researcher with a PhD in Fine Art, I often work with community participants to explore forms of cultural representation through objects and images. I will be working with Chinese-speaking community groups in Leeds to understand what the Chinese wallpaper means to Harewood House and its audiences today, as well as how the participants express their own identities and culture through images.
Example workshops will include collecting photographs and stories of personal artefacts, creating repeat patterns of decorative motifs, and producing images for an augmented reality experience which will be showcased in the East Bedroom at Harewood House next year. In addition to this creative intervention, the project will include a website, AR postcards, and a publication featuring images and text from the workshops.
The project aims to prominently feature the voices and contributions of Chinese-speaking community participants and increase their engagement with Harewood House. The use of augmented reality explores creative applications of digital technologies to bring wallpaper histories to life.
