A Hands-on Approach to Researching Historical Papermaking
Historical Hand Papermaking Process
Imagine for a moment that every single sheet of paper in the world was made individually, by hand. If you lived before the 1800s and the invention of the Fourdrinier Papermaking Machine, this idea wouldn't be so preposterous, but a fact. A video by the University of Iowa Center for the Book documents Associate Professor Tim Barrett and his graduate students replicating a traditional three-person papermaking team, capable of making 100 to 200 sheets per hour! A great film, well worth the 11 minutes and 42 seconds of your time today. Promise.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-PmfdV_cZUThink this is awesome? Click below for more cool things.
You can read more about this project here.
Browse research results on 14th through 19th century papers on the Paper Through Time website.
For an even deeper look at historical hand papermaking, watch Papermaking by Hand at Hayle Mill, England in 1976.