Patching and Plastering - Best way to repair hairline cracks in plaster

I am in the process of removing the wallpaper in my hallway and stairwell. So far, so good.

What I'm discovering under the wallpaper are quite a few hairline cracks in the plaster. The house was built in 1925. Most of these cracks are diagonal, down from the ceiling, mostly around doorways and windows.

I want to repair them, but have read about several different methods from using silicone caulk to using mesh tape. Before I head off to Home Depot to buy supplies, I'd like some advice on the best way to tackle this job and the kinds of supplies/tools I'll need to get the job done.

I'm sure someone must have experience with this. Can you give me some ideas?

With out being able to look at it I would say that just patching them with spackling should be OK. Given the age of the house it is not likely to have any significant settling meaning the cracks should be stable. Take a putty knife or screwdriver and score the cracks then fill with spackle let dry and sand. Although caulk works well it is hard to make the crack visibly disappear. You shouldn't need to tape on small cracks. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the information. I will try this and see if it works!