Description
Two Portraits of Sarah Whatman (1744-1775) and other art commissioned by James Whatman – Peter Bower
The Whatmans need no introduction, being one of the foremost papermaking families of England. They amassed great wealth, and left a legacy that included several paintings. This article describes some of the artwork, and the research that has been undertaken in trying to discover the whereabouts of certain ‘lost’ items.
10 pages, 20 illustrations
“Well I guess I will write more another time -” the last letter written on the Titanic – Peter Bower
Around the time that this edition of The Quarterly was being put together, there was a news item on national television about a pending auction involving sale of the last letter written from aboard the Titanic before it sank. This article tells the story of the letter and its author.
3 pages, 3 illustrations
The paper industry in Herefordshire – Daven Chamberlain
The most complete description to date of paper manufacturing and conversion in this remote county on the England-Wales border. It includes a gazetteer listing of each town or village where the industry was undertaken, and includes 80 references to facilitate further research.
9 pages, 13 illustrations
Ochres and red oxides used in paper-making – Anon
Most mineral pigments used throughout paper history have been white in nature, yet coloured varieties have been used on occasion to act as colouring agents. This article described the mining and production of coloured pigments at the Golden Valley Ochre and Oxide Company’s works at Wick, near Bristol, circa 1900.
3 pages, 9 illustrations
The Fourdrinier family and the paper used in transfer printing on pottery – Part 2 – Mike Malley
A follow-up to an article published in Quarterly No.100 (September 2016). It covers the career of the Fourdrinier family as paper manufacturers (rather than machinery manufactures) and in particular investigates their claims to have improved and cheapened pottery tissue production.
8 pages, 5 illustrations
First World War memorial at Thomas & Green Ltd, Soho Mills, Wooburn Green, Buckinghamshire
As part of our WWI centenary series, a full page illustration of the memorial at this well-known Buckinghamshire mill.
1 page, 1 illustration
What ever happened to the King Charles II paper-knife? – Ian Spellerberg
Paper knives were vital items of equipment for anyone wishing to read letters or books in the seventeenth century, since publications tended to be produced ‘uncut’. In addition to forming a useful introduction to these unusual items of stationery history, this article muses over the whereabouts of one particular knife, purported to have been owned by Great Britain’s original playboy king.
2 pages, 3 illustrations
The Musical Stationers: their playing brought the Royal Albert Hall audience to its feet – Peter Davis and Michael Stanyon
In the distant past, when paper mills and paper makers made quite substantial profits, firms tended to sponsor activities that benefitted both themselves and their employees. One such example was John Dickinson & Co., who sponsored a brass band from the late nineteenth century until 2003. This illustrated history includes a page from The Lion Rampant – a musical piece penned by a professor at the Trinity College of Music specifically for the band.
3 pages, 5 illustrations
The paper trade in War time: a comprehensive review of conditions and developments – The Assistant Editor (W.B.)
A surprisingly detailed analysis of how the UK Paper Industry was faring throughout the War years, dating from late 1917. The idiom ‘Loose Lips Sink Ships’ had not at this point been coined, which leads nicely on to …
7 pages
A victim of German piracy: the sinking of a pulp-laden steamer
An account of the sinking of the steamer Chic, owned by a major UK pulp distributor, by enemy submarine action in 1916.
1 page
