It is not certain who first added a movable piece to a book, but, in the thirteenth century Matthew Paris, a Benedictine monk, incorporated a revolving wheel or volvelle in his Chronica Majora. Handwritten abbey manuscripts included drawings of circular tables used to determine holy days. With Paris's volvelle structure, the reader can line up the tables by rotating the paper wheel rather than moving the whole manuscript. As early as the sixteenth century, flaps were used in anatomical illustrations to reveal internal parts of the body. These layers of superimposed sheets or plates could be lifted one piece at a time. Typically the paper sheets were black and white woodcuts with text printed around the illustration. Turn-up or metamorphosis books, also called harlequinades, became popular in the eighteenth century. While there are variations, typically these movables have one or two engraved sheets with the first sheet folded perpendicularly into four sections. A second sheet would be cut in half and hinged at the top and bottom edges of the first so that each flap could be lifted separately. Initially produced as religious narratives, these books use movement to actively engage the reader in the text and illustrations. Many works based on morality tales and theatrical topics were produced. Another inventive eighteenth-century movable was the peepshow or tunnel book. Little is known of the origin of these novelties, but they appear to have evolved from the traveling peepshows that showmen took to fairs and festivals. The original displays were often elaborate constructions depicting scenes from distant cities, famous stories, or topical events, and the viewer paid to look at the image. Illustrations in the earliest versions, and those still made today, are viewed through a hole in the cover, and, when the piece is extended, a three-dimensional effect is achieved. 12 - hand papermaking Today movable books are often thought of as an amusement for children. However, early movables were almost always used in scholarly works and in books designed for adults. It was not until the nineteenth century that these techniques were added to books to entertain children. In the 1860s London publisher Dean & Son claimed to be the "originator of children's movable books in which characters can be made to move and act in accordance with the incidents described in each story."1 Although this was not exactly true, Dean & Son had a significant impact on the history of movable books. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, the company produced movable books with a variety of moving parts including tabs, split pages, transforming scenes, and stand-up pictures. Some of the most original movable books of the nineteenth century were devised by German artist Lothar Meggendorfer. In contrast to most of his contemporaries, Meggendorfer was not satisfied with only one action on each page. He often had five parts of the illustration move simultaneously and in different directions. He designed intricate levers, hidden between pages, that gave his characters enormous possibilities for movement. Tiny metal rivets, actually tight curls of thin copper wire, were used to attach the levers, so that a single pull tab could activate all of them, often with several delayed actions as the tab was pulled farther out. What we consider pop-up books today were first issued at the beginning of the twentieth century. British book publisher S. Louis Giraud conceived, designed, and produced books with movable illustrations that the publisher described as "living models." While the term had yet to be used, these were the first authentic pop-up books. By the mid-1930s, American publisher Blue Ribbon Books copied the stand-up models successful in the British books and applied the technique to American classics. They found a combination that proved successful: animating books of Walt Disney characters and classic fairy tales with pop-ups. Blue Ribbon coined the term "pop-up" to describe movable illustrations and registered the trademark. In 1942 Cupples & Leon Company published the inaugural book of a popular series of inexpensive titles featuring the animations of Julian Wehr. His illustrations, printed on lightweight paper, included movement created by tab-operated mechanicals. The pages were slit at various points to permit arms, heads, legs, or other moving parts to protrude. By moving the tab, which extended through the side or lower edge of the illustrated page, the reader puts the various parts of the animation into motion. Geraldine Clyne created the Jolly Jump-ups series published between 1939 and 1954. Prior to these books, pop-ups were made from die-cut sheets that were folded and glued onto flat pages. The Jolly Jump-ups illustrations were printed on a single sheet of paper that was die-cut and folded to form a three-dimensional scene. The flat portions of the illustration were glued to stiff boards so the pop-up would stand up as the page opened. The books were formatted horizontally, with the text printed parallel to the spine. An important mid-twentieth-century innovator was Czechoslovakian artist Vojt ˇech Kubašta. His bold illustrations and clever pop-ups paved the way for a new explosion of pop-up and movable books. Innovative mechanical devices were introduced into thousands of books from the 1980s to the present, an output that has not been seen since the late nineteenth century. Movable paper devices are extraordinary, handmade creations. Whether they are on single pages or in commercially produced books, the mechanicals must be resilient paper constructions designed to tell stories, communicate ideas, and express concepts. As demonstrated by the paper-engineered movables in this portfolio, they are fascinating, entertaining, and full of surprises. The artist and paper engineer must be creative and imaginative, yet also practical to ensure that the moving paper withstands repeated use. Three themes are evident in the paper mechanicals in this portfolio. The first three creations that I describe below tell a story on their own and the next three are works that impart information; all six are complete by themselves. The final eight selections are also unique and artistic but are best understood when viewed along with the artist's statement. They benefit from interpretation, analysis, and clarification to fully understand and appreciate their message. The gift tag on Beware of Gods Bearing Gifts by Emily Martin and Bridget O'Malley ominously exhorts the viewer not to open the piece. But, who would not be tempted to open the lid, despite the warning? Each detail of the creation, from the outside tag to the inviting colors, entices the viewer to open it up. As the lid comes off Pandora's jar, seven snakes pop out conveying a message of dread and fear. The contemporary retelling of Pandora's story reminds the reader of both the value and the potential harm of curiosity. Pandora left only hope in the jar. The eight sections of the pop-up open diagonally revealing both the letterpress-printed text and the coiled green snakes. The complimentary colors used in the paper reflect the tone of the message while the lightweight paper of the lid and the contents belie the gravity of the message. Mary Tasillo and Erin Tohill Robin bring to life a beloved savory fruit in Olives. These pop-ups, with V-folds attached to the base sheet, reach out to the reader, ready to be devoured. The nearly edible, watermarked olive green paper contributes to the overall pleasure of the piece. Stenciled pulp, hand-colored pimentos, and the beautifully placed poetic tale leave the viewer wanting to reach for olives on pizza or straight from the jar. Hesperana tells its own story while leaving much unsaid. As envisioned by Shawn Sheehy, the only artist to create both the paper and the mechanical, this twenty-first-century Frog Goddess is created to address present-day concerns. She is perfectly constructed of heavy, vibrant, green paper which will withstand repeated leaps. Upon opening, Hesperana appears to be an ordinary frog. But, as the tab is pulled, she comes to life, her orange wings spread, fulfilling her calling. The complex mechanisms used in this construction, sandwiched between folded pages of the base, lift the frog into action. The beauty of this work is seen in its details: the folds of the eyes, the arrow cut into the pull tab, and the sturdy paper rivets that form the joints of the legs, giving them rotation and life-like placement. Helen Hiebert and Betsy Cluff created The Helio Timepiece, a handmade sundial cut from a single sheet of sun-yellow paper. By following the letterpress instructions printed on the page, the reader can align the cutouts so that the sun shines through the slits in the paper, marking the time of day. The faint color variations in the watermarked paper echo the sunrays. The unusual mechanism includes scored and precisely cut markers. It is both Mary Tasillo & Erin Tohill Robin, Olives, 2010, 10. x 15 x 2 inches, watermarked cotton-abaca paper with stenciled pulp, screenprint, hand coloring, and pop-up elements. Photo: Tom Bannister an artistic and functional construction. The look and feel of New Mexico Yucca is evocative of the hot, dry desert. The rugged earth tones used in the weighty brown cover paper and the gray-green tones of the yucca work well with the bold interior text that describes the mutual life-sustaining interrelatedness of the yucca flower and the yucca moth. New Mexico residents Sally Blakemore and Tom Leech show their appreciation for the state's native plant with a page-filling pop-up complete with flower and moth attached to the plant's sword-shaped leaves. The prickly points of the paper plant are graphic representations of the actual plant and, as the letterpress-printed text repeats itself line after line, the reader is reminded of the life cycle portrayed in the movable. Pulp Alchemy, by Winnie Radolan and Pamela Wood, uses the "magic window" technique, a mechanical device first introduced in the nineteenth century. The page is made from a single, folded sheet of smooth paper, enhanced with plant fibers. Six abstract petals, each of a complementary color and texture, form a circular design in the center of the page. The petals have an opening on one side and a tab rests alongside the bottom of display. When the tab is turned, a text layer overlays a portion of each petal, showing an illustration and the name of the plant used to create the paper. The circular transformation operates smoothly and graphically displays information about the papers. Michelle Bayer and Kyle Olmon's Bee Line is, from first viewing, the smallest contribution and appears to be the least compli cated. But the unopened creation, with a paper bee buzzing about, is thick, hinting at hidden contents. A string is attached to the bee and, when it is pulled, a rectangular flap opens on the front of the page, revealing inside a pop-up, pink marigold. The flower is cut from paper embellished with a white letterpress design that outlines the petals and gives the blossom shape. It is the "destruction" of the work that reveals its beauty and life. Garden of the Mind, by Hedi Kyle, Jeanne Jaffe, and Alisa Fox, uses a volvelle as the mechanical device. The central image is a large, thickly embossed brain, imagined as a leaf-like growth. Letterpress text curving alongside the brain has a line from "My Love" by e.e. cummings. Two movable sections of the brain create images of growth—both Gocco printed, one in red with a fuzzy image and the other with clearly printed shapes—turn on an unseen center post hinged on the backside of the brain. The viewer is reminded of the enormous capabilities of the human brain. Margaret Prentice and Ed Hutchins used a double thickness of rich, colorful papers in Spring Rotation. The casual strip of white pulp on the strong blue cover sheet engages the viewer. A narrow, folded spine adds substance to the covers and support for the interior pop-up. When opened, ten separate, multi-colored shapes burst off the page forming an arrangement of flower forms with natural deckles all around. A unique box fold mount, cut from the base sheet, supports and lifts each of the colorful blossoms and allows them to slide gracefully into place as this playful pop-up is opened and closed. The Big Couch, by Tom Balbo and Michael Durgin, reveals a human figure in creative activity. The sleek, detailed, well-proportioned body crouches over a giant mould, transferring paper onto a felt. The pop-up figure, made from natural, light brown paper, with individually cut fingers and toes, is held in bent position by the substance of the indigo base paper. The placement and seriousness of the body convey the importance of the work being done. Richard Aldorasi applied suminagashi (Japanese marbling) to his thick, laminated paper forming a sturdy base for Colette Fu's pop-ups. Aldorasi's technique created pale red and blue swirls on the outside of the white paper. Inside the clever pop-ups are handcut Chinese characters sculpted from the same paper, spelling out the Chinese characters for the title of the piece, Unbridled Creativity. Black swirls on the inside sheet echo the spilled ink coming from the opened bottle that emerges from along the center fold. The swirling movement of the deep, sky blue, pulp-painted paper of The Big Bang speaks of the galaxy even before the pop-up is revealed. The straightforwardness of the design by Carol Barton and Lynn Sures contributes to its impact. The pop-up, in the form of a large, oval, earth-like shape, is lifted up by a floating platform. Hovering above it is a bright red circular object with an expressive, angular white tail. The additional texture in the inside base paper provides a solid platform for the structures and accentuates their importance. Five layers of coordinating colored papers form the base of Rectangular Synthesis by Joan Michaels Pague and Rachelle Chuang. This simple sculptural construction is unusual, bold, and intriguing. Yellow, orange, pink, and brown paper sheets are glued together and to the cover at the outside edges, leaving the folded centers of each sheet unattached. Each of the papers is individually folded and cut on the diagonal, forming three, nested, offset, box-like pop-ups, one inside of the other. The incremental use of tonal values, each a separate pop-up, finally exposes the base sheet at the bottom. Untitled by Amy Jacobs and Philip Bell is encased in rich, dark brown paper with a large U-shaped cutout on the center fold. The Joan Michaels Paque & Rachelle W. Chuang, Rectangular Synthesis, 2010, 9. x 12 x 2. inches, cotton linter/sisal handmade paper, pigment, adhesive. cover paper is strong, intense, and textured. Inside, the pop-up's complimentary, organic colors of pulp-painted papers add to the power of the image. Intended to be worn as a mask, the piece represents a shaman in one direction, and a cardinal in the other. The pop-up is made from folded shapes and is attached to the base page at only two spots on either side of the mechanism. Additional cutout shapes on the adhered pieces add interest and movement to the mechanical. Each of the movables in this portfolio has its own "wow" features and builds upon the traditions and techniques established by inventive paper engineers throughout the ages. The artists have creatively brought together magnificent handmade papers and unusual movable constructions. It is a grand collection of unique objects. ___________ notes 1. Peter Haining, Movable Books: An Illustrated History (London: New English Library Limited, 1979), 20. The following essay accompanies Hand Papermaking's recently published Handmade Paper in Motion, the ninth in its series of distinctive limited-edition portfolios of handmade papers. In addition to Montanaro's essay, the portfolio features 14 paper works, by 28 artists, that incorporate movable devices and dynamic paper engineering; statements by contributing artists outlining their aesthetic and technical considerations; and the artists' biographical and contact information. considerations; and the artists' biographical and contact information. All of the works are reproduced here, along with historical specimens All of the works are reproduced here, along with historical specimens that Montanaro discusses in her essay. Ed. that Montanaro discusses in her essay. Ed.

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