Wove paper

Prior to the mid-nineteenth century, paper pulp consisted of cotton and linen rags that were mixed with water and reduced to a fibrous material that was applied to the mould.

In 1757, John Baskerville printed his famous edition of Virgil on this new kind of smooth paper, later referred to as wove (known in Europe as Vélin).

America's introduction to wove paper came through the hands of Benjamin Franklin, who, during his tenure in England from 1757 to 1762, befriended John Baskerville, visiting his office in Birmingham on multiple occasions.

Baskerville was revered for his continual improvements in typeface, press machinery, printing ink and wove paper in the mid-late 1750s.

Thomas Willcox employed the most skilled wire mould maker in the American colonies at this time, named Nathan Sellers.

Detailed account ledgers of the Sellers contain entries for the purchase of wove wire mould supplies as early as 1773.