file under fiber: Pattern and Flow - Handmade ornamental paper at the Grolier Club

Peacock pattern marble paper, Robert Wu, no date, detail.

In February DH and I viewed "Pattern and Flow: A Golden Age of American Decorated Paper, 1960s to 2000s" at the Grolier Club in New York City until April 8, 2023. The exhibit, glowingly reviewed in the Wall Street Journal, presented two families of decorated paper: marbled paper and paste paper. Marbled paper is made by manipulating pigments sprinkled on thickened liquid - surface tension allows the pigments to float on top of the liquid - and then placing paper in contact with the floating pattern. Paste paper is made by manipulating a thickened paste, with colorants, on paper. Both kinds of decorated paper were used historically in book-binding.

Video display, gallery.

The exhibit was initiated by Mindell Dubansky, the preservation librarian for the Metropolitan Museum's Watson Library. Her efforts in documenting decorated papers became the Paper Legacy Project, and now encompasses paper samples, as well as books, tools, studio records, catalogs and all manner of documentation of this craft from its revival in the 1960's to the present day.

I have a small personal connection to this material, having taken a paper marbling class with Faith Harrison at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education back in the 1980's. She was an excellent teacher and produced beautiful papers. One of her designs was licensed by Kleenex for a facial tissue box, seen below.

Wave pattern, Faith Harrison, 1980's.

Licensed patterns created by Faith Harrison, c. 1980's.

Vitrine with marbled papers and related books.

I loved seeing the innovative tools, many made by the artist themselves to achieve specific forms and shapes; many artists also mixed their own proprietary paint and pigment formulas, and used a variety of papers. There was no depiction of the marbling or paste processes, however, but there are many Youtube videos showing the steps involved.

Some of the tools used by the artists.

A tool made by Claire Maziarczyk from plastic hair picks.


Ms. Maziarczyk manipulating colored paste on paper with her home-made tool.

Gallery at the Grolier Club.

Marbling can be done on cloth, as documented in my earlier post. In addition to licensing for paper products, decorated paper designs have been translated into quilting fabrics.