English wallpaper and textiles factory, founded by Arthur Sanderson (b Kennington, Surrey, 13 April 1829; d ?London, 11 March 1882). In 1860 he set up an agency from his house in Soho Square, London, importing luxurious French wallpapers. Business prospered, and in 1865 he moved with his family to 52 Berners Street, London. By 1879 he had established a wallpaper factory, with several block tables and two roller printing machines, in Chiswick, where he employed French and English craftsmen. Together with his eldest son, John Ward Sanderson (1859-1915), who had been an apprentice at the Bezault wallpaper company in Paris, he produced rich patterns in the French style and a wide variety of floral designs. His two younger sons, Arthur Bengough Sanderson (1861-1946) and Harold William Sanderson (1863-1958), had both joined the family firm by 1881. After his sudden death in 1882 his three sons took over the business and continued to act as agents for French wallpaper firms. From 1887 the company issued its own pattern books of both machine-printed and hand-blocked papers. Early ranges included sanitary and nursery papers, chintz florals and sumptuous papers that imitated expensive textiles. By 1896 the workforce had grown to about 250 people, and the firm was well-established as a leading manufacturer of high-class wall coverings.

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