2020 Essays

What is Carton?

Dongchung, Tenzin Yewong

This essay focuses on the entry “Carton” on fol. 81r, which describes how paper can be pulped and molded in a cavity. This description at first appears similar to the process of using paper that later became known as papier-mâché. The research on the historical meaning and uses of carton in this essay, and its examination of references to carton in both Ms. Fr. 640 and contemporaneous French literature demonstrates that, while many uses of carton were similar to those of papier-mâché, carton was also employed in ways not associated with papier-mâché. By examining the multiple functions of carton—as a cheaper mold substitute, or as an element in composite decorative objects, for example—this essay sheds light on the capacious understanding of the material in early modern Europe.