Overview

Paper was being made as early as 100 B.C.E. in China and was kept a secret there for over 800 years. At some point the knowledge of the craft of papermaking was transferred to the Islamic world, perhaps by Chinese papermakers who were taken captive at the Battle of Talas on the western border of China in 751. This is plausible because after this date papermills were being established throughout the Islamic world from Baghdad to Damascus, to Cairo and Fez during the years 793 to 1100. From North Africa papermaking spread into Islamic Spain where a mill macerating rags was in operation by 1151 in Xativa south of Valencia on the eastern coast of Spain. The making of paper, an extraordinarily useful and versatile material, changed the world and how trade, business, and education were conducted. Paper quickly replaced other writing materials such as vellum and papyrus. The advent of the printing press and moveable type in the 15th century and the production then of great amounts of paper went hand in hand to spread books, literacy, and the dissemination of knowledge all over Europe. This exhibit showcases examples in the Vanderbilt Libraries of paper made as early as 1493 up until the present time.  Pages on papermaking from the first edition of Denis Diderot’s Encyclopedia and original historical documents from late 18th century America are on display. Of especial interest are archival photographs from Papermaking at Hayle Mill: 1808-1987  published by Claire Van Vliet’s Janus Press and printed on “Finale” the last paper ever produced by this mill.