TEXT C Seventeenth-century houses
in colonial North America were simple structures that were primarily functional,
carrying over traditional designs that went back to the Middle Ages. During the
first half of the eighteenth century, however, houses began to show a new
elegance. As wealth increased, more and more colonists built fine
houses. Since architecture was not yet a specialized profession
in the colonies, the design of buildings was left either to amateur designers or
to carpenters who undertook to interpret architectural manuals imported from
England. Inventories of colonial libraries show an astonishing number of these
handbooks for builders, and the houses erected during the eighteenth century
show their influence. Nevertheless, most domestic architecture of the first
three-quarters of the eighteenth century displays a wide divergence of taste and
freedom of application of the rules laid down in these books.
Increasing wealth and growing sophistication throughout the colonies
resulted in houses of improved design, whether the material was wood, stone, or
brick. New England still favored wood, though brick houses became common in
Boston and other towns, where the danger of fire gave an impetus to the use of
more durable material. A few houses in New England were built of stone, but only
in Pennsylvania and adjacent areas was stone widely used in dwellings. An
increased use of brick in houses and outbuildings is noticeable in Virginia and
Maryland, but wood remained the most popular material even in houses built by
wealthy landowners. In the Carolinas, even in closely packed Charleston, wooden
houses were much more common than brick houses.
Eighteenth-century houses showed great interior improvements over their
predecessors. Windows were made larger and shutters removed. Large, clear panes
replaced the small leaded glass of the seventeenth century. Doorways were larger
and more decorative. Fireplaces became decorative features of rooms. Walls were
made of plaster or wood, sometimes elaborately paneled. White paint began to
take the place of blues, yellows, greens, and lead colors, which had been
popular for wails in the earlier years. After about 1730, advertisements for
wallpaper styles in scenic patterns began to appear in colonial
newspapers. What does the author imply about the use of wallpaper before 1730
A．Wallpaper samples appeared in the architectural manuals. B．Wallpaper was the same color as the wall paints used. C．Wallpaper was not used in stone houses. D．Patterned wallpaper was not widely used.