William E. (William Edmund) Wall

William E. Wall, or William Edmund Wall, lived from 1858 to 1934 and wrote practical manuals for painters and decorators. Surviving catalog and public-domain records connect him most strongly with the craft of graining, the decorative technique used to imitate the look of natural wood on painted surfaces.

His best-known book, Practical Graining, was published in 1891 and presents detailed instruction on colors, tools, preparation, and finishing methods. Another major work, Graining, Ancient and Modern, appeared in 1905, showing that he continued developing and documenting the trade over many years.

Wall also wrote The Oldest Paint Shops in Massachusetts, a 1910 paper for the Society of Master House Painters and Decorators of Massachusetts. While not much biographical detail seems easy to confirm from major reference sources, his published work leaves a clear impression of a skilled trade expert writing for working craftspeople.