This case traces key pioneers of hand papermaking through their tools, early examples of their work, and teaching lineages. Books and art by pioneering hand papermakers—including Dard Hunter and Douglass Howell; important teachers such as Laurence Barker, Walter Hamady, and Timothy Barrett; and historians and producers Elaine and Donna Koretsky—and their predecessors are displayed. Contemporary artists continue to apply and expand on the techniques developed and reinvented by these pivotal pioneers.
Sheet of Egyptian papyrus.
Fabriano, Cast paper notebook.
The cover is a cast pulp image of traditional Fabriano hand papermakers making sheets of paper.”
Brian Queen, Experimental Laser Engraved Chiaroscuro Watermark Mould.
Courtesy of Brian Queen.
J. Barcham Green. One Hundred and Fifty Years of Papermaking by Hand. Maidstone, UK: Hayle Mill, 1967.
The Romance of Paper. Dalton, MA: Crane & Co., 1992.
Dard Hunter. Papermaking: The History and Technique of an Ancient Craft. 1947; New York: Dover, 1978.
Cathleen Baker, By His Own Labor: The Biography of Dard Hunter. New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press, 2000.
The Note Book of Elbert Hubbard. East Aurora, NY: Roycrofters, 1927.
Douglass Howell, Handmade Paper Mask.
Courtesy of Dieu Donné Papermill, NY.
Douglass Howell, Decorative Handmade Papers.
Courtesy of Dieu Donné Papermill, NY.
Cranbrook Sheet of Paper for the Grolier Club, 1963.
Letterpress printed, handmade sheet of paper made at Cranbrook Academy of Art, MI, for the Grolier Club’s visit in 1963, when Cranbrook’s paper making program was just 5 months old.
Courtesy of Laurence Barker.
Laurence Barker, Just a Moment, 1973.
Kenneth Tyler, Chiaroscuro Watermark Mould.
Kenneth Tyler, Watermarked Sheet of Paper.
Light and shade watermark mould featuring an image of printer Ken Tyler with his litho roller, fabricated to make custom watermarked sheets of paper at Dieu Donné.
Walter Hamady, For the Hundredth Time: Gabberjabb Number Five, 1981.
J. Bernstein, The Joe Wilfer Show: Collaborations in Paper and Printmaking. Exhibition catalog. Plattsburgh, NY: Plattsburgh Art Museum, 1998.
Jessica Stockholder, Ruth Lingen, Jeremy Sigler, Led Almost by My Tie, 2007.
Published by Picture Books. Letterpress and images printed by Ruth Lingen, with assistance from Kathy Kuehn, Ariel Kitch, and Casey Roberts. Plastic casing by Squire Broel. Bound by Mark Tomlinson and Ruth Lingen
Edition of 30 and 9 AP. Edition numbers 16 – 30 are glued onto 1” balsa wood, five copies came with a sculptural wall unit.
Gail Deery, Damien / Blue / Moth, 2024.
Edition of 10.
Courtesy of Gail Deery.
Ken Botnick, Diderot Project, 2015.
As Ken Botnick writes about his book Diderot, “the illustrations are extracted from the plates of the Encyclopedia, interwoven with the texts of 40 authors. The two primary authorial voices are Diderot’s—in the form of entries from the encyclopedia—and mine.
“There are 6 different papers used, including a special edition of handmade paper with watermarks I designed based on the engravings. The cover is handmade flax paper, made by Cave papers, that is triple dyed in indigo and walnut to obtain this quality of black.
“There are three sections in the book. The first is on the subject of the hand; the second, the object; and the third, the senses.”
Edited, written, designed, and printed by Ken Botnick, emdash. Bound by Daniel Kelm. Paper by Dieu Donné Papermill.
Edition of 70.
Courtesy of Ken Botnick
Twinrocker Handmade Paper Swatch Set, c. 2025.
Timothy Barrett. Early vs. Modern Handmade Papers: Observations of a 20th Century Papermaker. Madison, WI: Silver Buckle Press, University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries, 1989.
Donald Farnsworth, A Guide to Japanese Papermaking: Making Japanese Paper in the Western World, Oakland, CA: Magnolia Editions, Inc., 1997.
Donald Farnsworth, Momigami, Oakland, CA: Magnolia Editions, Inc., 1997.
Elaine Koretsky, Color for the Hand Papermaker. 2 vols. Brookline, MA: Carriage House Press, 1983.
Donna Koretsky, Why a Paper Rock, 2018.
Courtesy of Donna Koretsky.
Robbin Ami Silverberg, Do not humiliate your wife; she is your home. (Ovambo, Angola/Namibia) from the Proverbial Threads series, 2006.
“Proverbial Threads consists of 125+ book objects with misogynist proverbs that describe women’s work from cultures around the world. The industrial bobbins are wrapped with strips of paper. The 19th century industrial bobbin is an homage to the women who traditionally worked in the US garment industry.”
Courtesy of Robbin Ami Silverberg.
Helen Hiebert, Sound Blocks, 2010.
Laser cut by Joe Freedman. Colophon printed by Diane Jacobs.
Letterform design by Shu-Ju Wang.
Laura Anderson Barbata, Shapono, 1992–2001.
From the project Yanomami Owë Mamotima, for which Dieu Donné was an advisor.
Paper created in the Amazon of Venezuela.
Edition of 50 signed by Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe.
Courtesy of Laura Anderson Barbata and Dieu Donné.
c: 2001 Yanomami Owë Mamotima Project
Laura Anderson Barbata, Take Me Away, 2001.
Yanomami arrow and handmade paper made during the Yanomami Owë Mamotima Project in the Amazon of Venezuela.
Marilyn Wold. Hawaiian Canoe Plants for Papermaking, Kona, HI, self-published handmade book: 2007.
The Dieu Donné Handpapermakers’ Cookbook, ed. Melissa Potter and Pat Almonrode, New York, NY: DHP Papermill and Press, binder Marie-Céleste Edwards, 1999.
Hand Papermaking Portfolio 14: The Language of Color, 2023.
Artwork from 18 artists around Europe, Africa, and the United States were chosen by curator Hong Hong, and edited by Mina Takahashi. The design and letterpress printed wrappers were done by Steve Miller. The portfolio contains sixteen works examining the theme of color.
Hand Papermaking: Handmade Paper On Exhibit. Vol. 40, no. 1, 2025.
Western “laid” papermaking mould and deckle.
A “laid” papermaking mould features a sieve-like screen made of horizontal “laid” lines of wire attached onto vertical “chain” sewing wires. It creates a pattern of stripes that become visible when the sheet of paper is held up to the light.
Courtesy of Gail Deery.
Arnold Grummer’s “pour mould” / deckle box.
The Arnold Grummer “pour mould” / deckle box is a contemporary papermaking tool developed in the late 20th century. It features a high-sided hardwood deckle, a papermaking screen, a cover screen, and a support grid. Unlike traditional Western moulds that use the dip method, this mould employs a simplified “pour” technique: pulp is poured directly into the frame while it rests in a water-filled pan. The mould is pulled out of the vvat of water, and the sheet of pulp lays on the surface to drain.
Courtesy of Gail Deery.
Timothy Barrett. Japanese Papermaking: Traditions, Tools, and Techniques. New York, NY, and Tokyo, Japan: John Weatherhill, Inc., 1983.
Asao Shimura, mini books, 1977-99.
Ginsberg, Tatiana, ed. Papermaker’s Tears: Essays on the Art and Craft of Paper. 2 vols. Ann Arbor, MI: Legacy Press, 2019–23.
Hiromi Paper Inc, Decorative Papers I Sample Book, 2025.
Hiromi Paper Inc, Decorative Papers II Sample Book, 2026.
Japanese papermaking sugeta.
This contemporary sugeta with a bamboo screen on a plastic mould from Hiromi Paper, CA, is for making postcard-size Japanese style, or nagashizuki method, sheets of paper.
