Many people find it remarkable that maps have survived for over three or four hundred years. Most early maps were printed on strong, thick, paper handmade in France, Germany, Switzerland, and, after 1610, England; the finest paper came from northern Italy. The size of paper on which maps were printed was determined by the size of the printing press. Large maps were made by individually printing the sheets and then gluing them together.

Paper was first made in Asia about two thousand years ago, and the art of papermaking evolved gradually. More than a thousand years passed before it was introduced into Europe during the thirteenth century. There, paper was produced almost entirely from linen and cotton rags pulped in water. Papermaking required a long and often expensive apprenticeship. Workers were frequently sworn to secrecy because no craftsman wished to share knowledge with competitors.

After pulped fibers were thoroughly mixed in a deep vat, a wire mesh tray was dipped into the mixture and a sufficient amount lifted out to yield the required thickness of paper. A wooden frame called a deckle fitted over the tray to form a raised edge and prevented the watery pulp from escaping. Pulp flowing between the frame and the deckle produced an irregular feathery edge around the paper hence the term "deckle-edged" paper. As soon as possible the newly formed sheet of paper was removed from the tray and placed between two pieces of felt. The paper-and-felt "sandwiches" were then pressed to remove surplus water and the paper hung to dry.

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Reproduced from Denis Diderot's Encyclopedie
1767
Gift of Friends of the Cabildo

Women graded and sorted cotton and linen rags according to quality.

Reproduced from Denis Diderot's Encyclopedie
1767
Gift of Friends of the Cabildo

Sorted rags were broken down by hand-stamping the fibers.

Reproduced from Denis Diderot's Encyclopedie
1767
Gift of Friends of the Cabildo

Stamping mechanism used to reduce rag materials into usable fibers for papermaking.

Reproduced from Denis Diderot's Encyclopedie
1767
Gift of Friends of the Cabildo

A vat man prepares to dip a paper mold into pulped fiber while the workman to the right drains excess water from a dipped frame. Heavy presses used to remove the remaining water from the paper are in the background.

Reproduced from Denis Diderot's Encyclopedie
1767
Gift of Friends of the Cabildo

Women and a male apprentice at work in the drying loft. After pressing, the paper sheets were hung to dry on ropes woven from cow or horse hair.

Reproduced from Denis Diderot's Encyclopedie
1767
Gift of Friends of the Cabildo

Newly made paper is burnished to remove unevenness and pressed for a final time.

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