An Exploration of the Secrets of Early Modern Paper Lecture and Papermaking

Join us for a lecture with guest historian Dr. Joran Proot! Dr. Proot is a distinguished historian of early modern books from the Cultura Fonds and the Sint Lucas School of the Arts in Antwerp. During the lecture, Dr. Proot will discuss the study of handmade paper in the handpress period, 15th–17th centuries - In the transition of handwritten books to books printed with moveable type on common presses in the middle of the fifteenth century, the most frequently used substrate – i.e., handmade paper – played, in many ways, an important role. It is generally known that in the beginning paper sheets used for printed book were rather thick, and that paper became thinner over time. This process has a number of important implications for the book, which is in many regards a design object avant la lettre. Proot will give a brief overview of the current state of the thus far quite limited research on early modern paper used to print books. The focus will be on the non-destructive study of paper thickness, which offers an important proxy for paper quality. Based on early modern descriptions of the production of early modern paper, information provided by paper makers, and on minute measurements, Proot will define the morphology of the typical handmade sheet.

Papermaking Workshop Only - https://paper.gatech.edu/european-papermaking-dr-joran-proot

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