What Kind Of Paper Was Used In 18Th Century For Everyday Letter Writing?

[eharriett]

Having handled a lot of letters and other documents from the 1780s-1820s in my research, I can tell you that it was basically a fairly smooth, cotton fiber laid paper. Local newspapers such as the Franklinton Freeman's Chronicle of 1813 constantly advertised to buy old rags, which they needed for the papers as well as for job printing, bookbinding and other businesses they usually did out of the same shop. The G Lalo laid paper is okay, but a bit rough on one side, which gives me trouble for writing with fountain pens or dip nibs, and would certainly have been trouble for that era's goose quill pens. The original stuff definitely had the grid texture left by the wire sieve on one side.

That’s interesting and matches what little I’ve experienced with handling that paper too. Have not done it much, so I’d defer to your experience. I have some G. Lalo paper and it just doesn’t feel the same. How does Crown Mill’s Laid or cotton paper match, if you’ve held it?

[5thhistorian]

From the wikipedia entry it seems that modern laid paper is made mechanically, and they have to use a special roll to press the mesh pattern into the paper. So unless it is actually made by hand, the paper may have more of a washboard feel than pre-mechanical laid paper. Some art supply stores sell individual sheets but it isn't always coated or suitable for fountain pen ink. I've only tried the Southworth "antique laid paper", which is a bit lighter than G. Lalo but still fairly rough.

[sidthecat]

I’ve done a little writing with it, and I had my best results with medium-to-broad nibs.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Karmachanic. great link, especially the second one. It explains so very much.

 

Laid or linen effect, is better as mentioned with a M or B nib....not so bumpy.

Edited November 24, 2018 by Bo Bo Olson

[Retro-user]

Here's a reference book you might want to consult:

 

http://www.worldcat.org/title/history-of-papermaking-in-the-united-states-1691-1969/oclc/140734

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks for the link, Retro-user! (I wonder sometimes how I survived before a friend who is much more scholarly than me tipped me off to the wonders of Worldcat....)

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[eharriett]

Yeah, thanks! I need to look these up

[AAAndrew]

I've handled a bit of paper (letters, mostly) from the early 19th-century. Probably not the same stuff as a century earlier, but being a regular user of dip pens, and an occasional user of quills, I can tell you modern "linen" and "laid" paper with a texture is not the same thing. There is far too much texture compared to the originals I've seen. You need a smooth surface for steel dip pens or quills. This is one of the reason that ponce pots were common. The powdered ponce both smoothed the paper as well as gave it a kind of sizing that prevented bleeding.

[Poetman]

Laid

 

 

[alkman]

On 11/23/2018 at 9:42 PM, Retrouser said:

Here's a reference book you might want to consult:

 

http://www.worldcat.org/title/history-of-papermaking-in-the-united-states-1691-1969/oclc/140734

 

I would also recommend Dard Hunter's book. He was a paper collector and historian whose collection is now at the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking at Georgia Tech, https://paper.gatech.edu/