In this brief blog entry, the professional Southern California venetian blinds installation team here at LA Shades and Blinds will detail the history of venetian blinds, one of the most classic forms of window treatments commonly used today.
Early Venetian Blind History
Venetian blinds are thought to have come from Persia, rather than Venice, Italy. Venetian traders found these window coverings during trade interactions on the Silk Road, and brought them to Venice and Paris. In fact, in France, venetian blinds are known as “Les Persiennes”, with a more accurate nomenclature regarding the window treatment’s geographical origins. When venetian blinds were introduced to Europe in 1760, they rapidly became popular throughout the entire continent.
Venetian Blinds in the United States
A man named John Webster was the first to bring venetian blinds to the United States. The blue-blooded high society of the USA were the first to adopt them, and they were installed in many government buildings and office buildings. In fact, venetian blinds can be witnessed in the famous J.L. Jerome painting, ‘The Visit of Paul Jones to the Constitutional Convention’ as well as illustrations of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall at the time that the Declaration of Independence was signed. It has been documented that in 1761 St. Peter’s Church in Philly had venetian blinds installed.
Venetian Blinds at the Turn of the Century
Venetian blinds were rapidly installed in offices everywhere in the late 1800s and early 1900s to improve light and airflow. The famous 1872 painting, ‘Tea’ by James Tissot documents venetian blinds, and during the 1930s, NYC’s Rockefeller Center RCA Building (Radio City) installed venetian blinds en masse. The Burlington Venetian Blind Co. in Vermont famously filled one of the largest orders for venetian blinds ever placed, to outfit the Empire State Building.
