Papillon Press
• Design & stationery • letterpress & block printing •
/blogs/blog
Design Archaeology
We dig through the past to find designs and resurrect them by reproducing and reimagining these hidden examples of beauty.
Japanese Camellia
Most of our designs have historical roots, and many have European origins. This pattern is different; it is from Japan. The Japanese have long been known for unique and intricate art styles. Their ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world” style of printmaking, lives on as a classic and distinctive approach to printmaking.
Fleur et Coeur
We are calling the design that is the subject of this blog post “Fleur et Coeur,” or Flower and Heart, after the flower and leaf/heart design on an 18th Century French patterned paper, or domino paper. Domino papers were single sheets of hand printed decorated paper which often featured a simple repeating pattern.
Oiseau et Rose: Ambrose Huquier, Hosier and Printmaker
SOCKS AND PAPER In 1781, a Frenchman named Ambrose Benoist Huquier sent a letter to Benjamin Franklin mentioning the fact that he had sent stockings to the American troops. The correspondence gives us a snapshot of commerce between France and Revolutionary America.