Howell's investigations were primarily directed in three areas. He researched paper history and the mediums employed on paper from a craft and conservation angle. With this knowledge he had a strong foundation with which to explore the manufacture of paper in all of its technical aspects, from fiber morphology and pulp preparation to sheet forming and drying. Thirdly, his discoveries led to artistic experimentation as he applied his skills at the vat. Howell came to papermaking in the early 1940s to enhance his woodblock and letterpress printing. He started his research at the New York Public Library. 1 Early on he was adamant about the artist's obligation to understand the materials used. What makes one ink work better than another? Why does the humidity in the etching studio have such an effect on the resulting print? What kind of sizing is in or on the paper? His papermaking practice was informed by historical analysis of Asian, Islamic, and European technologies. He was saddened that in the twentieth century, artists and educational institutions were shunning time-tested materials and methodologies. He was also troubled by the degradation of papers due to the use of acidic wood pulp in the commercial pulp and paper industry and the use of chlorine in the field of conservation. Howell limited his own papermaking research to fiber and water with no additional chemicals such as internal sizing. "Work with nature and nature will work with you" is an aphorism Howell would stress when I first studied with him.2 By working strictly with fiber and water, he could focus on factors directly associated with the beating process. Rather than cooking, he rinsed repeatedly, or retted for extended periods. Rather than buffering, he purified his water keeping a close eye on the pH. In "...And Nature Will Work With You" eugénie barron Howell's studio with his three beaters. Each with a load capacity of 454 grams of fiber to 30 liters of water; 40-lb. roll weight; 8-inch diameter roll; 24 flybars; 6 bedplate bars at 3-degree separation; and 500 RPM. Photo: Frank Paulin, 1982. All photos courtesy of the author unless otherwise noted. Beater roll and bedplate for Howell Beater #3 design. Photo: Frank Paulin. winter 2007 - 25 his studio he had a placard on the wall, "paper is made in the beater." Howell chose bast fibers for strength, focusing on flax and hemp. He reasoned that historically these fibers endured, as proven by ancient textiles that have survived for millennia. He also researched the fibers used in early European books and printing. Howell was the first papermaker to prepare raw flax in a Hollander beater for artistic use. He never used linters because he would say, "The fibers are short, dead, and usually bleached. Chlorine kills fiber." In 1941, Howell designed Beater #1 which features a stationary bedplate and a roll that can be adjusted by a pinion and crank. This beater has a copper tub and wooden fillets between the spaces in the flybars.3 Research into Asian fiber preparation and the observations of his own beater led him to conclude that longer fiber length would create stronger papers. He considered that the action of the mallet in Japanese papermaking and the stampers used for early European papermaking did not cut the fiber. Both the mallet and the stamper fibrillated and heated the fiber during beating, creating a crisper, more lustrous sheet. For Beater #2 he chose to cavitate the roll with deeper spaces between the flybars, and eliminate the fillets. Notes from this period describe his fascination with the pressure and turbulence between the flybars as they impacted the pulp entering the roll. He had observed a jellylike substance that he thought added to the paper's crispness. His desire was to crush and fibrillate rather than cut the fiber. He redesigned the roll hood shape so that the fiber would be thrown up from the bedplate "like a reverse mallet," hitting the roll cover. This beater has a stainless-steel tub, unusual for its time when Howell built it in 1949.4 During the 1950s Howell was inspired by his correspondences with paper scientists and historians E. J. LaBarre of the Paper Publications Society in Hiversum, Holland, and Gerard Perradeau of Richard de Bas mill in France. His archives contain notes from Edwin Suttermeister, chief chemist for Warren Paper Company. His beater bible was Sigurd Smith's The Action of the Beater published in 1923 in London.5 In the redesign for Beater #3, he made the bedplate bars flush with the bottom of the tub. The roll is set into springloaded "arms" which allows it to jump when large clumps of fiber squeeze between the roll and the bedplate. These innovations prevented the knotting of the long raw fiber, which Howell would comb into egg-sized balls and load slowly into the beater. This beater was made of Plexiglas in 1961 so that he could observe what took place during beating.6 For over forty years, Howell recorded a "beater log" for each load of pulp. His early logs describing processing for cotton paper are scarce, but there are many examples of logs pertaining to linen rag, a fiber he worked with often. Each log contains information on the fiber condition, preparation prior to beating, roll management, periodic circulation counts, temperature changes, and beating time. He generally obtained linen rag from worn damask tablecloths or cuttings of vat-dyed linens from the fabric trade. He attached a sample of fiber to each log. Howell produced a wide range of papers depending upon the material he selected. Paper use would drive the fiber choice. Generally, worn linen would be for more absorbent papers to be used for printing and watercolor; new cuttings made harder papers, particularly good for book applications and pulp imagery. For sculptural and bookbinding projects he used raw flax, hemp, and ramie for their high shrinkage properties and translucency. By varying the fiber and its preparation, Howell achieved a tremendous range of textures and absorption levels, resulting in distinctive papers from thin and translucent to rough and textured, or flat, mould-dried sheets to thick, deeply embossed papers which could be richly inked. He rarely sized his papers, but when he did, he tub sized in the traditional manner using Howell at Beater #3 in his Riverhead, New York studio, 1982. Photo: Frank Paulin. Beater log from July 15, 1980. Raw flax with paper samples. Courtesy of Howell Archives, Monterey, Massachusetts. 26 - hand papermaking gelatin, gum arabic, or a gelatin-gesso application to the paper when dried. Surface sizing allowed him to maintain his waterleaf research during the pulp preparation stage. In contrast with the rigor of his scientific approach to preparation and beating, Howell's artistic approach was loose and simple, though assured. All of his pulp paintings and sculptures were accomplished through sheet forming at the vat, with the exception of several early flax and string sculptures with wooden armatures.7 His imagery was done on a "floating mould" which rested in the vat. After creating his imagery, he lifted the mould from the vat, shook the mould, and that was it. He wanted the sheet to have that shake in both directions as traditional Western papermaking required. He felt that multiple couching was "against the grain" of traditional sheet forming. He did not use pigmented pulp because of his "no additives" rule. Rather, he applied color to the finished paper, or used dyed linens for color. He did not like the luminosity of pigmented pulp, though he had scarce experience in that direction. He suspected the use of retention agents. During the early 1970s Howell began to combine his long-beaten flax with string and fabric inclusions in the vat to produce decorative papers for a sketchbook project. The combination of the high-shrinkage pulp with the low-shrinkage string provided a Eureka! moment when he discovered the dimensional possibilities of the sheets as they dried. Howell never force dried his sheets because he had learned that restraint drying might temporarily relieve the paper from cockling, but it would always have the potential to cockle. In his artistic experimentation he maintained this aesthetic restriction by either air (loft) drying or drying on cloth screens. Some of his most inspiring works are his sculptural flax forms.8 Howell was particularly pleased with a 1977 collaboration with Professor Lee Anne Miller to research pigments, binders, sizing, and handmade paper combinations for their optical effect. In 1986 he submitted a synopsis of the effort for publication in the inaugural issue of Hand Papermaking. The study succinctly reveals Howell's sensibility regarding research. In his statement he mused, "This study at first glance may appear complicated. It is not so if one studies it with care." Clam Form, 1975, 15 x 12 x 5 inches, flax with string grid. Courtesy of Howell Archives, Monterey, Massachusetts. Samson and the Lion by Albrecht Dürer printed by Howell on his own linen paper, handmade in the early 1950s. Plates were made from the original woodblocks from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo: Alexandra Soteriou. Courtesy of Howell Archives, Monterey, Massachusetts. Satyr, a papetrie from the 1950s, 17 x 8 inches, linen paper with cloth. Courtesy of Howell Archives, Monterey, Massachusetts. winter 2007 - 27 As an artist who makes and sometimes learns from her mistakes, it occurs to me that Howell's disciplined approach to research was always meticulous but often tedious. Yet research is truly vital, and can be enjoyable. It instructs and offers permanence to the glee of artmaking, and sustains the work for posterity. ___________ notes 1. Howell studied the work of Dard Hunter, Robert Henderson Clapperton, and numerous historical and conservation periodicals of the time. Throughout his notes he gives bibliographic reference for his inquiries. He researched European printmaking with a particular interest in Dürer, consulting Erwin Panofsky at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Howell's overall interests ranged from cartography to Asian and Islamic calligraphy. 2. All quotes are from conversations and correspondence between Howell and the author spanning 1979 through 1994. 3. Purchased by Amanda Degener, Beater #1 is still in use. 4. Purchased by the author, Beater #2 has been beautifully reconditioned by David Reina. 5. Howell filed a collection of notes and letters throughout his career. For inquiries, contact Elisabeth King at ehking1@earthlink.net. Address correspondence to P.O. Box 605, Monterey, MA, 01245. 6. Beater #3 is currently in the Howell Archives in Monterey, Massachusetts. 7. For elaboration on Howell's technique at the vat, see Eugénie Barron, "Some Observations on the Technical Achievements of Douglass Morse Howell," essay in Douglass Morse Howell: Papermaker, an exhibition brochure (New York Public Library, 1987). However the best way to experience Howell's work is to view them in person. Smith College Library houses the Douglass Morse Howell paper collections. For a viewing appointment, contact Martin Antonetti, Curator of Rare Books, mrbr@smith.edu. 8. For a comprehensive survey of Howell's artwork, bibliography, exhibitions, and articles, see Alexandra Soteriou, Douglass Morse Howell Retrospective, an exhibition catalog (New York: American Craft Museum, 1982). Howell and Professor Lee Anne Miller in 1977 at work on the watercolor study featured in the first issue of Hand Papermaking. Howell and the author at the Riverhead studio, 1982. Photo: Michael Paulin. Disc Form, 1975, 17 x 2 inches, flax with flax fiber. Courtesy of Howell Archives, Monterey, Massachusetts.