Beaten to a Pulp
At its most basic, paper is made from interwoven fibers matted together into a flat sheet. Fibers, coming traditionally from plants or cotton and linen rags, are soaked and beaten to create a pulp. The pulp is added to a water-filled vat, from which it is scooped up using a mold with an attached deckle that keeps the fibers from sliding off the sides. The mold’s fine screen suspends the fibers and allows the water to drain away, leaving only the damp fibers in a flat sheet, which is then dried.
This section shows examples of handmade paper, as well as materials and equipment used in the papermaking process.
Mold for paper making.
This mold has a fine screen to suspend fibers while allowing water to drain away, and a deckle to hold the fibers in place.
Ming Dynasty currency, ca. 1368-1644.
The earliest known paper was developed in China during the Han Dynasty (202 BCE – 220 CE). This centuries-old currency, printed on mulberry-bark paper and circulated during the Ming Dynasty, documents China’s primary role in the history of papermaking.
From the estate of Louis Livingston Seaman.
A Collection of Paper Samples from Hand Papermills in the United States of America. Santa Cruz, California: Peter & Donna Thomas, 1993.
This example of handmade paper uses multi-colored fibers to create a rainbow effect, inspired by a Monet painting.
Aimee Lee. Every Fall. Cleveland, Ohio: Bionic Hearing Press, 2024.
Using hanji – traditional Korean paper made from the paper mulberry tree – and bark lace, artist Aimee Lee evokes the tactile and emotional experience of visiting Korean burial grounds.
Thomas Keith Tindale and Harriet Ramsey Tindale. The Handmade Papers of Japan. Rutland, Vt.; Tokyo, Japan: Charles E. Tuttle, 1952.
These plant fibers accompany the text of The Handmade Papers of Japan, and are commonly used for Japanese papermaking: mitsumata, kozo, gampi, taima, and kuwa.
