Learning to "read" old paper | Folger Shakespeare Library

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Hardison Poetry Series and additional readings</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/whats-on/events/theater/" target="">Theater</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">"A Room in the Castle" and more from Folger Theatre</span> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <li class="c-primary-menu__item"> <button class="c-primary-menu__button js-disclosure-nav__button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="panel--visit"><span>Visit</span> <i class="fal fa-angle-down"></i></button> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel js-disclosure-nav__panel" id="panel--visit"> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel-content"> <svg aria-hidden="true" class="c-primary-menu__panel-background-f" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 273 423"> <path fill="#EF4123" fill-rule="evenodd" d="M144.366 289.393v132.63H.882v-422h271.292v121.775l-127.808-13.867v88.62l106.106-13.263v119.368z"/> </svg> <img aria-hidden="true" src="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2022/09/FSL_WestGarden2.jpg?resize=10%2C20&gravity" data-srcset="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2022/09/FSL_WestGarden2.jpg?resize=10%2C20&gravity 10w, https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2022/09/FSL_WestGarden2.jpg?resize=300%2C600&gravity 300w" alt="People walking through a garden, sitting on benches, and sitting on a blanket in the grass" title="West garden" class="c-primary-menu__panel-image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" width=300 height=600 /> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel-details"> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel-title-block"> <h2 class="c-primary-menu__panel-title">Visit</h2> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel-view-all"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/visit/" target="">View All </a> <i class="fal fa-arrow-right" aria-hidden="true"></i> </div> </div> <p class="c-primary-menu__panel-intro">The Folger is open! Learn about what's new and plan your visit.</p> <ul class="c-primary-menu__panel-menu"> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/visit/plan-your-visit/" target="">Plan your visit</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">Hours, timed-entry passes, and what to know before you go</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/visit/exhibitions/" target="">Exhibitions</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">What's on view in our galleries</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/visit/things-to-do/" target="">Things to do</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">Why you should visit</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/visit/our-building-and-grounds/" target="">Our building and grounds</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">The reimagined Folger</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/visit/folger-cafe-quill-crumb/" target="">Quill & Crumb</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">Our new caf茅 is now open</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/visit/plan-your-visit/attending-an-event-in-our-theater/" target="">Visiting our theater</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">Theater entrance, box office hours, seat map, and FAQ</span> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </ul> </div> <div class="c-primary-menu__multiple-item"> <span class="c-primary-menu__item-label">Shakespeare, his world, and beyond</span> <ul class="c-primary-menu__menu"> <li class="c-primary-menu__item"> <button class="c-primary-menu__button js-disclosure-nav__button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="panel--explore"><span>Explore</span> <i class="fal fa-angle-down"></i></button> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel js-disclosure-nav__panel" id="panel--explore"> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel-content"> <svg aria-hidden="true" class="c-primary-menu__panel-background-f" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 273 423"> <path fill="#EF4123" fill-rule="evenodd" d="M144.366 289.393v132.63H.882v-422h271.292v121.775l-127.808-13.867v88.62l106.106-13.263v119.368z"/> </svg> <img aria-hidden="true" src="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2023/01/Shakespeares-Birthday-2017-517-scaled.jpg?resize=10%2C20&gravity" data-srcset="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2023/01/Shakespeares-Birthday-2017-517-scaled.jpg?resize=10%2C20&gravity 10w, https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2023/01/Shakespeares-Birthday-2017-517-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C600&gravity 300w, https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2023/01/Shakespeares-Birthday-2017-517-scaled.jpg?resize=500%2C1000&gravity 500w, https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2023/01/Shakespeares-Birthday-2017-517-scaled.jpg?resize=750%2C1500&gravity 750w" alt="" title="Folger Shakespeare LibraryWashington DCShakespeare's birthday party" class="c-primary-menu__panel-image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" width=300 height=600 /> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel-details"> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel-title-block"> <h2 class="c-primary-menu__panel-title">Explore</h2> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel-view-all"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/explore/" target="">View All </a> <i class="fal fa-arrow-right" aria-hidden="true"></i> </div> </div> <p class="c-primary-menu__panel-intro">Discover Shakespeare鈥檚 stories and the world that shaped them. Deepen your understanding of his works and their cultural influence.</p> <ul class="c-primary-menu__panel-menu"> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/" target="">Shakespeare's works</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">Read and learn more about Shakespeare's plays and poems</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeare-in-print/" target="">Shakespeare in print</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">The First Folio (the book that gave us Shakespeare) and what came after</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeare-in-performance/" target="">Shakespeare in performance</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">From playhouse to film sets, explore four centuries of staging Shakespeare</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-life/" target="">Shakespeare's life</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">Find out about Shakespeare's life in Stratford and London</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/explore/collection-highlights/" target="">Collection highlights</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">See manuscripts, paintings, costumes, and more from the Folger collection</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeare-for-kids/" target="">Shakespeare for kids</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">Resources and activities for young children and their parents</span> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <li class="c-primary-menu__item"> <button class="c-primary-menu__button js-disclosure-nav__button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="panel--teach"><span>Teach</span> <i class="fal fa-angle-down"></i></button> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel js-disclosure-nav__panel" id="panel--teach"> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel-content"> <svg aria-hidden="true" class="c-primary-menu__panel-background-f" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 273 423"> <path fill="#EF4123" fill-rule="evenodd" d="M144.366 289.393v132.63H.882v-422h271.292v121.775l-127.808-13.867v88.62l106.106-13.263v119.368z"/> </svg> <img aria-hidden="true" src="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2022/09/McKee-Scholars-0049-cr-lloyd-wolf.jpg?resize=10%2C20&gravity" data-srcset="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2022/09/McKee-Scholars-0049-cr-lloyd-wolf.jpg?resize=10%2C20&gravity 10w, https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2022/09/McKee-Scholars-0049-cr-lloyd-wolf.jpg?resize=300%2C600&gravity 300w, https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2022/09/McKee-Scholars-0049-cr-lloyd-wolf.jpg?resize=500%2C1000&gravity 500w" alt="female student holding a Folger Shakespeare edition" title="Student with Folger Shakespeare edition" class="c-primary-menu__panel-image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" width=300 height=600 /> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel-details"> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel-title-block"> <h2 class="c-primary-menu__panel-title">Teach</h2> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel-view-all"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/teach/" target="">View All </a> <i class="fal fa-arrow-right" aria-hidden="true"></i> </div> </div> <p class="c-primary-menu__panel-intro">Bring Shakespeare鈥檚 work to life in the classroom. Find teaching resources and opportunities.</p> <ul class="c-primary-menu__panel-menu"> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/teach/the-folger-method/" target="">Teaching with the Folger Method</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">An accessible and immersive way to teach students about any kind of literature</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/teach/become-a-teacher-member/" target="">Become a Teacher Member</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">Get full access to the latest resources and ongoing professional development</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/teach/professional-development/" target="">Professional development</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">From live webinars to on-demand content for educators, join us</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/teach/resources/" target="">Teaching resources</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">Access lesson plans and activities for the classroom, organized by play</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/" target="">Shakespeare's works</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">Read and search the complete works of Shakespeare for free</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/teach/student-programs/" target="">Student programs</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">All kinds of programs for all kinds of students</span> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <li class="c-primary-menu__item"> <button class="c-primary-menu__button js-disclosure-nav__button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="panel--research"><span>Research</span> <i class="fal fa-angle-down"></i></button> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel js-disclosure-nav__panel" id="panel--research"> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel-content"> <svg aria-hidden="true" class="c-primary-menu__panel-background-f" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 273 423"> <path fill="#EF4123" fill-rule="evenodd" d="M144.366 289.393v132.63H.882v-422h271.292v121.775l-127.808-13.867v88.62l106.106-13.263v119.368z"/> </svg> <img aria-hidden="true" src="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2023/01/TSI_Vivid_Teachers_ReadingRoom_015_crJamesRBrantley-scaled.jpg?resize=10%2C20&gravity" data-srcset="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2023/01/TSI_Vivid_Teachers_ReadingRoom_015_crJamesRBrantley-scaled.jpg?resize=10%2C20&gravity 10w, https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2023/01/TSI_Vivid_Teachers_ReadingRoom_015_crJamesRBrantley-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C600&gravity 300w, https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2023/01/TSI_Vivid_Teachers_ReadingRoom_015_crJamesRBrantley-scaled.jpg?resize=500%2C1000&gravity 500w, https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2023/01/TSI_Vivid_Teachers_ReadingRoom_015_crJamesRBrantley-scaled.jpg?resize=750%2C1500&gravity 750w, https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2023/01/TSI_Vivid_Teachers_ReadingRoom_015_crJamesRBrantley-scaled.jpg?resize=1000%2C2000&gravity 1000w" alt="" title="TSI_Vivid_Teachers_ReadingRoom_015_crJamesRBrantley" class="c-primary-menu__panel-image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" width=300 height=600 /> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel-details"> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel-title-block"> <h2 class="c-primary-menu__panel-title">Research</h2> <div class="c-primary-menu__panel-view-all"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/research/" target="">View All </a> <i class="fal fa-arrow-right" aria-hidden="true"></i> </div> </div> <p class="c-primary-menu__panel-intro">Dive deep into the world鈥檚 largest Shakespeare collection and access primary sources from the early modern period.</p> <ul class="c-primary-menu__panel-menu"> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/research/about-our-collections/" target="">About our collections</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">From printed works of Shakespeare to rare materials from the early modern period</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/research/use-the-library/" target="">Use the library</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">Researcher registration and reference services</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/research/the-folger-institute/" target="">Folger Institute</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">Find out about our scholarly programs and fellowship opportunities</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://catalog.folger.edu/" target="target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"">Search the catalog</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">Use our online catalog to search the Folger collection</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/research/online-resources/" target="">Online resources</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">Access our digital image collection, finding aids, and more</span> </li> <li class="c-primary-menu__panel-link"> <a class="c-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/research/ask-a-librarian/" target="">Ask a librarian</a> <span class="c-primary-menu__panel-link-description">Get answers to your questions about Shakespeare, our collection, and more</span> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </ul> </div> <div class="c-primary-menu__multiple-item"> <span class="c-primary-menu__item-label">Become a part of the story</span> <ul class="c-primary-menu__menu"> <li 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class="c-link c-link--back c-page-header-bar__parent-link" href="https://www.folger.edu/blogs/collation/">The Collation</a> <div class="c-page-header-bar__search-form c-page-header-bar-search-form"> <form method="get" action="https://www.folger.edu/search/"> <label for="blog-search" class="u-hidden-visually">Search blogs</label> <input type="text" name="q" id="blog-search" placeholder="Search blogs"> <input name="area" type="hidden" value="blogs"> <button class="c-btn" type="submit"><span class="u-hidden-visually">Submit</span><i class="fal fa-search" aria-hidden="true"></i></button> </form> </div> </div> <section class="c-masthead u-parchment-bg c-masthead--no-image c-masthead--1000 c-masthead--dark c-masthead--folger-f"> <div class="c-masthead__wrap"> <div class="c-masthead__details"> <div class="c-masthead__detail-sections"> <h1 class="c-masthead__title"><span>Learning to "read" old paper</span></h1> <div class="c-masthead-post-fields"> <div class="c-masthead-post-fields__post-meta"> <div class="c-masthead-post-fields__post-meta-item c-masthead-post-fields__published-date"> <span class="c-masthead-post-fields__meta-label">Posted</span> <time datetime="2012-06-25 11:45"> June 25, 2012 </time> </div> <div class="c-masthead-post-fields__post-meta-item c-masthead-post-fields__authors"> <span class="c-masthead-post-fields__meta-label">Author</span> <ul class="c-masthead-post-fields__authors-list"> <li><a href="https://www.folger.edu/authors/erin-blake/">Erin Blake</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <ul class="c-masthead-post-fields__terms c-terms-list"> <li class="c-terms-list__term"><a href="https://www.folger.edu/collation-tags/paper/">paper</a></li> <li class="c-terms-list__term"><a href="https://www.folger.edu/collation-tags/watermarks/">watermarks</a></li> <li class="c-terms-list__term"><a href="https://www.folger.edu/blogs/collation/topics/art">Art</a><li> </ul> </div> </div> <svg aria-hidden="true" class="c-masthead__background-f" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 273 423"> <path fill="#EF4123" fill-rule="evenodd" d="M144.366 289.393v132.63H.882v-422h271.292v121.775l-127.808-13.867v88.62l106.106-13.263v119.368z"/> </svg> </div> </div> </section> <article class="c-post"> <div class="c-post__content"> <section class="c-container u-transparent-bg c-container--1000 c-container--center c-container--vertical-top"> <div class="c-container__wrap"> <div class="c-container__inner"> <div class="c-container__blocks"> <div class="o-grid o-grid--large" data-item-count="1"> <div class="o-grid__cell u-1/1@desktop"> <div class="c-col c-col-text-area u-transparent-bg"> <div class="c-content"> <p>Have you ever wished there were a summer camp for bookish grown-ups? A retreat where we can spend a week amongst our own and not worry about being teased for loving libraries or getting hit in the glasses by a dodgeball? There is such a place, and it’s called <a title="Rare Book School" href="http://www.rarebookschool.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rare Book School</a>. Originally based at Columbia University, RBS moved to the University of Virginia in 1992 and has continued to grow ever since. Smaller versions now exist in <a title="California Rare Book School" href="http://www.calrbs.org/">Los Angeles,</a> <a title="London Rare Books School" href="http://www.ies.sas.ac.uk/study-training/research-training-courses/london-rare-books-school" target="_blank" rel="noopener">London</a>, and <a title="Ecole de l'Institut d'histoire du livre" href="http://ihl.enssib.fr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lyon</a>. At Rare Book School, book nerds like me spend an intensive week studying a specific aspect of bibliography. It might be the identification of illustration techniques to 1900, or the history of European bookbinding, or teaching the history of the book. For me, the week of June 11, it was the <a title="RBS Course H-60. History of European and American Papermaking" href="http://www.rarebookschool.org/courses/history/h60/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">history of European and American papermaking</a>.聽</p> <p>Team-taught by Tim Barrett and John Bidwell, our class of academics, librarians, curators, and collectors met from 8:30 to 4:30 every day for a mix of lectures, discussions, and hands-on activities. The hands-on part started the very first afternoon, when we got a sense of the steps involved in hand papermaking by actually making paper, one Asian-style sheet and one European-style sheet each:</p> <div id="attachment_3188" style="width: 656px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2012/06/Papermaking.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3188" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-3188 " title="Papermaking" src="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2012/06/Papermaking.jpg" alt="Making hand-made paper" width="646" height="537" srcset="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2012/06/Papermaking.jpg?w=1076 1076w, https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2012/06/Papermaking.jpg?resize=300%2C250 300w, https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2012/06/Papermaking.jpg?resize=1024%2C852 1024w, https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2012/06/Papermaking.jpg?resize=768%2C639 768w, https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2012/06/Papermaking.jpg?resize=750%2C624 750w, https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2012/06/Papermaking.jpg?resize=500%2C416 500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 646px) 100vw, 646px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-3188" class="wp-caption-text">Rare Book School student dipping a European-style paper mold</p></div> <p>The next afternoon, we each made two sheets of European-style paper, one from raw flax, the other from cooked and washed flax, so we could see the difference in color and texture. On Wednesday afternoon, we sized half of each sheet in gelatin, as if preparing to make it into writing paper (as opposed to printing paper). Finally, on Friday, we burnished half of each sized sheet with a stone (agate) to make it into fine writing paper.</p> <p>Armed with a portfolio of samples and a brain filled with the technical history of this fundamental book ingredient, I headed back to the Folger to look at paper, and find examples to use in my own teaching. As a curator and scholar, the most important aspects of the class for me were learning to recognize different grades of paper (is the book I’m looking at printed on expensive high-quality paper, or ordinary paper?) and to recognize different methods of manufacture (could this print really date to the 17th century if it’s on this paper?).</p> <p>Originally, all European paper was hand-made by dipping a wooden-framed metal screen (a mold) into a vat of warm water and cellulose fibers (made from disintegrated rags), scooping up this pulp, then letting the water drain out so that the cellulose fibers matted into a thin layer against the screen. Until the late 18th century, all molds had the same basic design: a rectangle with widely-spaced vertical wooden ribs, a “chain” wire laced to the top of each rib, and closely-spaced horizontal “laid” wires tied to the chains. Wire designs sewn to this grid, when used, form decorative and informative watermarks. <span id='easy-footnote-1-36819' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'></span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='#easy-footnote-bottom-1-36819' title='Different sizes of paper have different standard watermarks, and different mills have their own interpretations of these standards; watermarks incorporating a year provide a &#8220;not earlier than&#8221; date of printing because mills didn&#8217;t necessarily update their watermarks, and printers didn&#8217;t necessarily use new paper.'><sup>1</sup></a></span></p> <p>This type of paper, known as “laid” paper, is thinner where the pulp touched the wires, making a latticework pattern easily seen when you hold it up to a light. The example shown below also has a watermark. <span id='easy-footnote-2-36819' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'></span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='#easy-footnote-bottom-2-36819' title='The blank paper samples in this post are all taken from the <a title="Hamnet record for ART Flat d8" href="http://shakespeare.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=99016" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Folger&#8217;s set of the James McBey Collection of watermarked paper</a>. The Folger is fortunate to have one of the sixty McBey portfolios created by the Houghton Library at Harvard University in 1981, though ours is one of the lesser sets, having only fifty sheets of paper. Each portfolio contains a study set of up to fifty-seven different blank sheets of paper from the 16th through early 19th centuries. The sets were compiled when Houghton librarian Roger Stoddard realized that the antique paper given to the library by the widow of a paper collector could be split up into identical sets of different sheets of paper because so much of the collection consisted sixty or more sheets of the <em>same</em> paper, not just one or two.'><sup>2</sup></a></span></p> <div id="attachment_3196" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2012/06/Foolscap.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3196" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-3196 " title="Foolscap" src="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2012/06/Foolscap.jpg" alt="Antique laid paper " width="800" height="544" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-3196" class="wp-caption-text">Detail of 17th-century laid paper with foolscap watermark, back-lit</p></div> <p>Notice that that the vertical stripes have graduated shadows, lighter down the middle, and darker at the edges. This is because a slight suction forms between the screen and the wooden ribs as the water drains out, keeping a thicker layer of pulp along the ribs. This type of paper, with shadows along the chain lines, is now known as “antique laid” thanks to an improvement in mold design around 1800 that eliminated the suction by creating a slight gap below the laid wires. Laid paper made using the new-style mold is known as “modern laid” paper:</p> <div id="attachment_3197" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2012/06/Lion.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3197" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-3197 " title="Lion" src="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2012/06/Lion.jpg" alt="Modern laid paper" width="800" height="487" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-3197" class="wp-caption-text">Detail of modern laid paper with lion watermark (and the date 1823, not shown), back-lit</p></div> <p>Notice that there are no shadows along the chain lines of the paper seen above, which has a watermark dated 1823. <span id='easy-footnote-3-36819' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'></span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='#easy-footnote-bottom-3-36819' title='Readers familiar with Rare Book School will recognize that the RBS &#8220;lion&#8221; logo comes from this watermark.'><sup>3</sup></a></span> A few years ago, the Folger was offered what the inexperienced seller thought was a seventeenth-century book of engravings, but because it was printed on modern laid paper, the prints were clearly “restrikes” (old plates re-used long after they were first made).</p> <p>By the late 18th century, a completely new type of paper mold came into common use. Instead of an obvious lattice of laid wires on top of chain wires, a screen of much finer woven mesh stretched across the wooden ribs. Paper formed on such a uniform surface shows no pattern when held up to the light, unless a wire design intended to form a watermark has been sewn to the screen:</p> <div id="attachment_3199" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2012/06/Wove.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3199" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-3199 " title="Wove" src="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2012/06/Wove.jpg" alt="Wove paper" width="800" height="454" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-3199" class="wp-caption-text">Wove paper with “SE&Co. 1833” watermark</p></div> <p>Wove paper was particularly appreciated by artists and printmakers because there was nothing to interfere with the design lines of the art (except for the watemark, if any). Wove paper also stood out as distinctly modern. The makers of the 1807 facsimile of Shakespeare’s First Folio deliberately printed it on wove paper watermarked “Shakespeare” and “J. Whatman 1806” (and 1807), Whatman’s being the finest paper mill in Europe.</p> <div id="attachment_3203" style="width: 1056px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2012/06/1807.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3203" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-3203 " title="1807" src="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2012/06/1807.jpg" alt="Title page to 1807 facsimile in reflected and transmitted light" width="1046" height="598" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-3203" class="wp-caption-text">Title page to the 1807 facsimile edition of Shakespeare’s First Folio: in normal light on left; back-lit on right</p></div> <p>The Droeshout portrait plate created for the 1807 facsimile is a very close copy of the <a title="First Folio title page" href="http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/s/gqgbqc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1623 original</a>, and could easily be mistaken for the 1623 version when printed on antique paper. Two such examples in the Folger collection are clearly not intended to deceive, since they are both printed on the blank versos of title pages removed from old books so turning them over reveals the original title and date (Folger <a title="Hamnet record for ART Vol. c21 and ART Vol. c22" href="http://shakespeare.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=259893" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ART Vols. c21 and c22</a>).</p> <p>The third example, however, is not so easily discovered to be an imposter. The verso is blank, and it is printed on antique laid paper:</p> <div id="attachment_3206" style="width: 1026px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2012/06/Droeshout-laid.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3206" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-3206 " title="Droeshout-laid" src="https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2012/06/Droeshout-laid.jpg" alt="Facsimile of the Droeshout portrait printed on antique laid paper" width="1016" height="600" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-3206" class="wp-caption-text">Facsimile of the Droeshout portrait printed on antique laid paper: in normal light on left; back-lit on right</p></div> <p>The prominent white spots seen when this leaf of paper is held up to the light are known as “vatman’s tears.” They’re caused by water dripping from the vatman’s arms as the paper is being made. The drops of water disturb the pulp enough to thin the paper where they land. In other words, it’s not a particularly high-quality sheet of paper. What seems to have happened is that someone used an old piece of paper鈥攑erhaps a blank endleaf removed from a book鈥攁nd printed the 1807 Droeshout portrait on it聽(Folger <a title="catalog record" href="http://shakespeare.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=192539" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ART 261181 (size S)</a>). <span id='easy-footnote-4-36819' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'></span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='#easy-footnote-bottom-4-36819' title='One of the reasons blank endleaves are often missing from old books is that forgers have removed them to use; artists also sometimes like to work with old paper, and so might remove an endleaf for their own, legitimate purposes.'><sup>4</sup></a></span></p> <p>This is just a tiny taste of the kinds of things we talked about in the Rare Book School class on the history of papermaking. And if anyone wants to see the set of paper samples I made, I resisted the temptation to send them to my parents to magnet onto the fridge, so just ask. They’re in my office (magneted onto the filing cabinet).</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section> </div> <div class="c-post__footnotes o-wrap"> <div class="o-max o-max--800"> <ol class="easy-footnotes-wrapper"><li class="easy-footnote-single"><span id="easy-footnote-bottom-1-36819" class="easy-footnote-margin-adjust"></span>Different sizes of paper have different standard watermarks, and different mills have their own interpretations of these standards; watermarks incorporating a year provide a “not earlier than” date of printing because mills didn’t necessarily update their watermarks, and printers didn’t necessarily use new paper.<a class="easy-footnote-to-top" href="#easy-footnote-1-36819"></a></li><li class="easy-footnote-single"><span id="easy-footnote-bottom-2-36819" class="easy-footnote-margin-adjust"></span>The blank paper samples in this post are all taken from the <a title="Hamnet record for ART Flat d8" href="http://shakespeare.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=99016" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Folger’s set of the James McBey Collection of watermarked paper</a>. The Folger is fortunate to have one of the sixty McBey portfolios created by the Houghton Library at Harvard University in 1981, though ours is one of the lesser sets, having only fifty sheets of paper. Each portfolio contains a study set of up to fifty-seven different blank sheets of paper from the 16th through early 19th centuries. The sets were compiled when Houghton librarian Roger Stoddard realized that the antique paper given to the library by the widow of a paper collector could be split up into identical sets of different sheets of paper because so much of the collection consisted sixty or more sheets of the <em>same</em> paper, not just one or two.<a class="easy-footnote-to-top" href="#easy-footnote-2-36819"></a></li><li class="easy-footnote-single"><span id="easy-footnote-bottom-3-36819" class="easy-footnote-margin-adjust"></span>Readers familiar with Rare Book School will recognize that the RBS “lion” logo comes from this watermark.<a class="easy-footnote-to-top" href="#easy-footnote-3-36819"></a></li><li class="easy-footnote-single"><span id="easy-footnote-bottom-4-36819" class="easy-footnote-margin-adjust"></span>One of the reasons blank endleaves are often missing from old books is that forgers have removed them to use; artists also sometimes like to work with old paper, and so might remove an endleaf for their own, legitimate purposes.<a class="easy-footnote-to-top" href="#easy-footnote-4-36819"></a></li></ol> </div> </div> <div class="c-post__author o-wrap"> <div class="o-max o-max--800"> <div class="c-post-author c-content"> <div class="c-post-author__details"> <p class="c-post-author__name">Erin Blake</p> <p class="c-post-author__description">is currently the Senior Cataloger responsible for art and manuscripts at the Folger Shakespeare Library. From 2000 to 2014, Erin served as the Folger's Curator of Art and Special Collections. In 2014, she became Head of Collection Information Services. After a four-year tour of duty in senior management, she happily returned to working hands-on with the collection in 2018. In addition to her Folger work, Erin teaches <em>The History of Printed Book Illustration in the West</em> at <a href="http://www.rarebookschool.org">Rare Book School</a>, and is a member of the <a href="https://rbms.info/committees/bibliographic_standards/">RBMS Bibliographic Standards Committee</a>. — <a href="https://www.folger.edu/authors/erin-blake/">View all posts <span class="u-hidden-visually">by Erin Blake</span></a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="c-post__blog-sign-up o-wrap"> <div class="o-max o-max--800"> <div class="c-boxout u-txt-center c-content"> <h3>Stay connected</h3> <p>Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.</p> <script type="text/javascript"> var onloadSibCallback = function () { jQuery('.g-recaptcha').each(function (index, el) { grecaptcha.render(el, { 'sitekey': jQuery(el).attr('data-sitekey') }); }); }; </script> <script src="https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js?onload=onloadSibCallback&render=explicit" async defer></script> <form id="sib_signup_form_2" method="post" class="sib_signup_form"> <div class="sib_loader" style="display:none;"><img src="https://www.folger.edu/admin/wp-includes/images/spinner.gif" alt="loader"></div> <input type="hidden" name="sib_form_action" value="subscribe_form_submit"> <input type="hidden" name="sib_form_id" value="2"> <input type="hidden" name="sib_form_alert_notice" value="Please fill out this field"> <input type="hidden" name="sib_form_invalid_email_notice" value="Your email address is invalid"> <input type="hidden" name="sib_security" value="ff45f0a963"> <div class="sib_signup_box_inside_2"> <div style="/*display:none*/" class="sib_msg_disp"> </div> <label class="u-hidden-visually" for="blog-signup-email">Email</label> <input id="blog-signup-email" type="email" class="form-input form-inline" name="email" placeholder="Email" required="required"> <button type="submit" class="c-btn c-btn--small form-button form-inline">Subscribe</button> <div id="sib_captcha" class="g-recaptcha" data-sitekey="6LcbE-AnAAAAACCkR1Q_jlT7XSTlh6dPbiRcmrjn"></div> </div> </form> <style> form#sib_signup_form_2 p.sib-alert-message { padding: 6px 12px; margin-bottom: 20px; border: 1px solid transparent; border-radius: 4px; -webkit-box-sizing: border-box; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; box-sizing: border-box; } form#sib_signup_form_2 p.sib-alert-message-error { background-color: #f2dede; border-color: #ebccd1; color: #a94442; } form#sib_signup_form_2 p.sib-alert-message-success { background-color: #dff0d8; border-color: #d6e9c6; color: #3c763d; } form#sib_signup_form_2 p.sib-alert-message-warning { background-color: #fcf8e3; border-color: #faebcc; color: #8a6d3b; } </style> </div> </div> </div> </article> <div class="c-comment-section"> <div class="o-wrap"> <div class="o-max o-max--800"> <section class="c-post-comments c-content"> <h2 class="c-post-comments__title">Comments</h2> <div class="c-comment-list"> <div id="comment-5195" class="c-post-comment"> <div class="c-post-comment__text"> <p>I always thought TB made up the Rare Book School lion watermark out of his head!</p> </div> <div class="c-post-comment__details"> <p class="c-post-comment__meta"><em>Deborah J. Leslie</em> — June 29, 2012</p> <div class="c-post-comment__reply-link"></div> </div> </div> <div id="comment-5196" class="c-post-comment"> <div class="c-post-comment__text"> <p>Can anyone give more information about this Lion watermark? Country, maker, etc.<br /> I will greatly appreciate any help.<br /> Cordially,<br /> Edgardo</p> </div> <div class="c-post-comment__details"> <p class="c-post-comment__meta"><em>Edgardo</em> — July 31, 2017</p> <div class="c-post-comment__reply-link"></div> </div> <div class="c-post-comment__reply-list"> <div class="c-comment-list"> <div id="comment-5197" class="c-post-comment"> <div class="c-post-comment__text"> <p>It’s entry no. 20 in <em>The James McBey Collection of watermarked paper</em>, which describes it as being from Hayle Mill, in Kent, founded in 1810. It has “J Green / 1823” on two lines on the half that does not have the crowned lion.</p> <p>According to https://sites.google.com/site/simonbarchamgreen/, Hayle Mill was built in 1808, and was run by the Green family from 1813 to 1987 (when it closed).</p> </div> <div class="c-post-comment__details"> <p class="c-post-comment__meta"><em>Erin Blake</em> — July 31, 2017</p> <div class="c-post-comment__reply-link"></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="comment-5198" class="c-post-comment"> <div class="c-post-comment__text"> <p>Does anyone here know anything about, or know of online resources for…</p> <p>a) dry stamps used on older papers, for example from the 19th or early 20th centuries?</p> <p>b) paper manufactured in this period outside Europe, especially in the Arab world?</p> <p>Thanks!</p> </div> <div class="c-post-comment__details"> <p class="c-post-comment__meta"><em>Carl Davila</em> — December 15, 2018</p> <div class="c-post-comment__reply-link"></div> </div> </div> <div id="comment-5199" class="c-post-comment"> <div class="c-post-comment__text"> <p>I have heard that the width of the tramlines can be a useful indicator as to the approx. date of some 17th century paper. Can it and if so how?</p> </div> <div class="c-post-comment__details"> <p class="c-post-comment__meta"><em>Nigel King</em> — February 9, 2020</p> <div class="c-post-comment__reply-link"></div> </div> </div> </div> </section> </div> </div> </div> </main> <section class="c-newsletter-signup"> <div class="c-content o-max o-max--800"> <div class="o-grid o-grid--middle"> <div class="o-grid__cell u-1/3@desktop"> <div class="c-newsletter-signup__title"> <i class="fal fa-envelope" aria-hidden="true"></i> <h2>Stay connected</h2> </div> </div> <div class="o-grid__cell u-2/3@desktop"> <div class="c-newsletter-signup__content"> <p class="c-newsletter-signup__description">Find out what鈥檚 on, read our latest stories, and learn how you can get involved. </p> <a href="https://www.folger.edu/enews" class="c-newsletter-signup__btn c-btn c-btn--small">Sign up</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section> <footer class="c-global-footer o-max o-max--1400"> <h2 class="u-hidden-visually">Footer information</h2> <div class="o-grid"> <div class="o-grid__cell u-1/2 u-1/3@tablet u-1/4@desktop"> <ul id="menu-footer-one" class="c-footer-menu"><li id="menu-item-38546" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-38546"><a href="https://www.folger.edu/about-us/">About us</a></li> <li id="menu-item-38545" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-38545"><a href="https://www.folger.edu/about-us/careers-and-volunteering/">Jobs and internships</a></li> <li id="menu-item-5652" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-5652"><a href="https://www.folger.edu/about-us/press/">Press</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="o-grid__cell u-1/2 u-1/3@tablet u-1/4@desktop"> <ul id="menu-footer-two" class="c-footer-menu"><li id="menu-item-38543" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-38543"><a href="https://www.folger.edu/blogs/">Blogs</a></li> <li id="menu-item-40852" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-40852"><a href="https://www.folger.edu/podcasts/shakespeare-unlimited/">Podcast</a></li> <li id="menu-item-5656" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-5656"><a href="https://www.folger.edu/visit/our-building-and-grounds/rent-our-spaces/">Rent our spaces</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="o-grid__cell u-1/1 u-1/3@tablet u-1/4@desktop"> <div class="c-footer-address"> <div class="c-footer-address__logo"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 273 423"> <path fill="#E03100" fill-rule="evenodd" d="M144.366 289.393v132.63H.882v-422h271.292v121.775l-127.808-13.867v88.62l106.106-13.263v119.368z"/> </svg> </div> <div class="c-footer-address__content"> <address> Folger Shakespeare Library <br/> 201 East Capitol Street, SE <br/> Washington, DC 20003 </address> <a href="https://www.folger.edu/contact-us">Contact us</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="o-grid__cell u-1/4@desktop"> <div class="c-footer-social-links"> <h2>Follow us<span class="u-hidden-visually"> on social media</span></h2> <ul> <li><a class="c-footer-social-links__link" href="https://www.facebook.com/folgershakespearelibrary/"><i aria-hidden="true" class="fab fa-facebook"></i> Facebook</a></li> <li><a class="c-footer-social-links__link" href="https://www.instagram.com/folgerlibrary"><i aria-hidden="true" class="fab fa-instagram"></i> Instagram</a></li> <li><a class="c-footer-social-links__link" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBOl-Rnudd-b0XJsmKDId-g"><i aria-hidden="true" class="fab fa-youtube"></i> YouTube</a></li> <li><a class="c-footer-social-links__link" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@folgerlibrary"><i aria-hidden="true" class="fab fa-tiktok"></i> TikTok</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="c-global-footer__base"> <ul id="menu-footer-three" class="c-footer-menu c-footer-menu--row"><li id="menu-item-40275" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-privacy-policy menu-item-40275"><a rel="privacy-policy" href="https://www.folger.edu/privacy-policy/">Privacy policy</a></li> <li id="menu-item-520" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-520"><a href="https://www.folger.edu/terms-of-use/">Terms of use</a></li> <li id="menu-item-519" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-519"><a href="https://www.folger.edu/copyright-policy/">Copyright policy</a></li> </ul> <span class="c-global-footer__copyright">© 1996 - 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Learning to "read" old paper | Folger Shakespeare Library