Historical Colored Paper Project
The Origin of the Species:
The Evolution of Colored Paper in 19th Century Texas and the Southern United States
Based on the Moses and Stephen F. Austin Papers housed at the University of Texas at Austin's Center for American History, this study examines some of the colored paper available in Texas and the U.S. South during the period 1790-1890, with an eye toward both the paper's physical description and its use. A survey of the Austin collection has yielded a discrete sample of colored papers to be examined in detail. Relying on a variety of techniques, including polarizing light microscopy, this analysis will identify the samples’ physical properties and characteristics, such as color, fiber composition, colorant, texture, dimensions, size, permanence, and durability. Various uses of the colored papers will also be catalogued. Finally, historical research will trace the sources of the colored papers, including their country of manufacture and, wherever possible, the mills at which they were produced. This study will ultimately provide both a history and a catalogue of some of the colored papers used in Texas and the U.S. South during the nineteenth century, which may prove useful and informative to conservators and historical document examiners alike.