Papier Mache Research Paper

Paper Mache What is papier mache? Papier mache is a composite material usually including pieces of paper or pulp, sometimes reinforced some sort of textile, and held together by an adhesive. There are two main ways to make papier mache. The first and simplest way is to tear strips of paper and glue them down over your mold. The second way is obtained by soaking the paper or boiling it in hot water, creating a material known as paper pulp, to which then glue or adhesive is added. With either method the mache will need some kind of support, usually coming in the form of small gauge chicken wire, inflated balloons, or lightweight textiles. Despite “papier mache” being French for “chewed paper,” papier mache actually did not originate in France. China, the inventors of paper, had been …show more content…
Later on, his assistant Henry Clay invented a papier mache recipe that made his mache as durable as a wooden fence board. He did this by heat treating his papier mache as it was drying. This was the first recorded instance in history where heat was used to harden the papier mache recipe to make it more durable. A Northamtonshire Quaker, William Allgood, was the one who introduced papier mache to North America. He used his skill in the craft to start the Litchfield Manufacturing Company. His company had outstanding success, and was known across America for his exquisite heat treated papier mache clock faces. After William Allgood died and his company died along with him. Papier mache lived on in America as more of a craft form than a material used for manufacturing. Women in factories used papier mache to create inexpensive household decorations for the average consumer. However, papier mache became obsolete in the late 1800’s. It stayed that way for seventy to eighty years. Until, an artist out of New York named Gemma experimented with papier mache while on a trip to Mexico with her husband. They managed to stir up interest in papier mache amongst local