Paper Mache is the English world’s equivalent for a term coined by the French – Papier-mâché — which literally means “chewed paper.”  Paper mache is made of paper pulp, but not the kind that is processed in paper mills.  With paper mache, you make your own pulp using a mixture of shredded or chopped (or chewed!) paper that is sometimes combined with bits of textile material.  Combined with  some liquid, and some sort of adhesive like glue, wall paper paste, or even common household starches, this icky sounding concoction becomes an impressive medium for creativity.   So how can a bunch of chewed up paper relate to art?  Let’s take a look and see.

Throughout the history of the world, paper mache has had many uses.  In ancient Egypt, the elaborately decorated coffins for the dead were made of a kind of paper mache consisting of layered papyrus and linen held together by a plaster like substance.  The Egyptians called this cartonnage.

In the east, small decorative boxes and trays were also made using paper mache.  After making these items, Asians took great delight in painting them with delicate shapes and textures, drawing on imagery from nature, such as flowers and animals for their inspiration.

In Europe, methods were devised by which expensive carved wooden panels in buildings and furnishings could be built at a great reduction in cost by using paper mache instead of wood.  Many paper mache products have survived hundreds of years, and can still be found in antique auctions rarely.  The Russians developed a thriving economy of creating ornate ecclesiastical decorations for its beautiful churches.  Many of these remain prominent features of the architecture.

Making masks of paper mache is something most school children have had the opportunity to experience, but these masks, professionally created as works of art and products, can fetch a pretty penny on the market.

There was even a time when boats were made of paper mache.  Yes, boats.  According to D3q, in the 1800s, Waters and Sons of Troy, New York, took advantage of the industrial revolution’s invention of a continuous feed sheet paper machine to construct large panels that were used to in the manufacture of paper canoes.  A hull was covered in layers of the large paper sheets, then bound with adhesive substances that made them quite formidable in terms of sturdiness.  These canoes were light, waterproof, and great for competitive racing.  Accordingly, they became known as paper racing shells.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the domes of celestial observatories were made using paper mache, which could produce a lightweight and well shaped dome rather easily that was conducive to the observance of the heavens through telescopes.  Waters and Sons were again to thank for this innovation.

In modern times, paper mache is used to create highly thematic and decorative floats for parades and Carnival floats.  Even though plastics have come to replace many of paper mache’s traditional uses, it can still be found used with some regularity in theatre arts for set construction.

Then, there is the modern art of war.  You might be surprised to know that there have been paper mache firearms, and that auxiliary drop fuel tanks for fighter planes in World War II were made of — yes — paper mache.

That’s your history lesson for the day, class.  Quiz on Thursday.