Stationery through the centuries
Through the centuries...
Paper-making has been an industry in the north of the Ardèche for nearly 5 centuries, under the impetus of the Montgolfier, Johannot and Canson families...
How it all began
105
The birth of paper in China. Tradition has it that paper was born in 105, when it was presented to the emperor by the mandarin Tsaï-Loun. However, it was three centuries earlier that the first sheets of paper were actually manufactured...
1557
The beginnings of the Montgolfier saga. As the Wars of Religion ravaged France, Jacques Montgolfier, a paper-maker from Ambert who had converted to Protestantism, left his native Auvergne for the Beaujolais region.
This marked the beginning of the geographical expansion of this family, which went on to create numerous paper mills over several centuries.
1634
Mathieu and Barthélémy Johannot, the first paper makers in Annonay. The sons of a paper-maker from Ambert, the Johannot brothers bought a corn mill in Annonay, in the suburb of Faya.
As Protestants, they settled on the banks of the Deûme, the river that would provide the motive power and water needed to turn rags into paper pulp.
1654
The Vidalon mill. At Vidalon, in the parish of Davézieux, downstream from the Deûme, another wheat mill was converted into a paper mill. Initially leased, it was bought by Antoine Chelles, a paper-maker from Ambert.
This isolated site soon saw the construction of production buildings and accommodation for the paper-makers' journeymen.
Inventive papers
1777
Fine vellum from Annonay, the beginnings of the technical revolution. Nostalgic fans dream of the fine parchment made from the skin of stillborn calves, vellum.... If only we could make paper that was smooth and free of all traces of thread.... It seems that the English know how to do it, but we can't ask them, so we have to invent again.
It was the Montgolfiers who were the first to succeed in 1777, soon followed by Johannot and Réveillon, while Le Journal de Paris, France's first daily newspaper, had just been launched.
When Pierre Montgolfier was ennobled, King Louis XVI made a point of mentioning this innovation:
‘We are also informed that the aforementioned Sieur Pierre Montgolfier carried out the first trials of vellum paper in his factory...’.
The form for laid paper
It consists of an oak frame and a brass sieve. The pontuseaux, small fir strips pricked into the long sides, are fitted parallel to the short sides. The upper part is sharp and flush with the top of the frame.
To make the sieve, parallel to the pontuseaux, we lay the wires that run from one end of the frame to the other. They are held to the pontuseaux by small brass wires.
Each paper format requires a different shape. The watermarks are sewn in relief onto the sieves; like the vergeure, they are drawn into the pulp and appear clear. The shape must be very flat, although leaning slightly towards the four corners to give greater strength to these parts of the sheet.
The regulations are draconian for the formats and the nature of the watermark. After the decree of 1739, each master had to inscribe in the watermark in the central part of the sheet, opposite the usual watermark (grape, bell, crown, etc.), the initial of his name, his full nickname, the quality of the paper (Fine, Medium, Bulle) and the name of the province; a widow had to add the word ‘widow’.
This regulation borders on the absurd, since this overload of thin areas weakens the paper.
The form for vellum paper
The woven fabric is attached directly to the pontuseaux, leaving no thread marks on the sheet.
1780
Objective whiteness, the Dutch pile. Imports of white paper from Holland were unbalancing the kingdom's balance of trade. The Languedoc authorities were concerned and decided to encourage the papermaker best able to crush rags using the Dutch method.
Competition was fierce, and the Montgolfiers were chosen to install cylinder stacks to replace the old mallets. Industrialisation was underway, but opposition from the paper-makers was strong.
1782
Paper conquers air and space. On 14 December 1782, a strange paper bag burst into flames over a fire in the courtyard of the Montgolfier factory. Soon, it stood up, rose, flew away and reached the skies. It crosses the river and lands gently on a hillside.
It all began three weeks earlier when Joseph had the idea of storing hot air in a small paper cube.
Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier had realised Icarus' dream: like the bird, man would fly...
1784
The Manufacture Royale de Vidalon. On 19 March, the Montgolfier paper mill became a Royal Manufactory. This title, so coveted by all the paper manufacturers in the kingdom, went to those whose innovative potential had placed them at the top of the profession.
The Vidalon paper mill took on a motto and a coat of arms.
The latter refers to the coat of arms of Annonay (blood and gold chequerboard), the invention of the hot-air balloon by Joseph and Etienne and the manufacture of paper, particularly vellum. The motto Ite per orbem (Go around the world) refers to the already international distribution of Montgolfier papers.
Avant-garde papers
1801
The birth of Canson and Montgolfier. Etienne de Montgolfier had been dead for two years; he was succeeded by his son-in-law, Barthélemy Barou de la Lombardière de Canson.
An excellent technician, Barthélemy de Canson was to give the paper mill a new lease of life.
He continued the process of extending the range by developing innovative papers. For sixty years, Barthélemy de Canson was a great captain of industry.
This is how the name Barthélemy de Canson became part of the history of the paper industry, a name that would become legendary among artists and lovers of fine paper.
1809
Transparent papers, coloured papers, the Canson revolution. Canson continued on the path of innovation initiated by the Montgolfiers. In the greatest secrecy, they invented their tracing paper, a transparent medium that would save architects from having to redraw the same plan over and over again. Then they began to colour the paper pulp, fixing the colour permanently and regularly in the sheet.
On 18 July 1809, at the Schönbrünn camp, Napoleon I, who had just won the victory at Wagram, took the time to grant a patent to Barthélemy Barou de Canson, a paper manufacturer in Annonay, ‘for the application to paper manufacture of a colouring principle of perfect equality and foolproof fixity’.
Only strong doses of acid can discolour paper, which also erases ink. Canson concluded that using Nanking paper would protect his writings from falsification.
Perhaps Napoleon I was not indifferent to this argument?
Vidalon paper became Canson paper.
1824
The paper machine, a step towards modernisation. Barthélemy de Canson immediately recognised the importance of the continuous paper machine, and in 1815 decided to install one. It took him several years to achieve his goal. The negotiations to acquire the patent were lengthy.
In 1823, his continuous paper machine was operational. As soon as it was up and running, the Canson family set about perfecting it.
Etienne invented the famous suction boxes which, by sucking water from under the wire mesh, improved drainage and gave greater strength to the long sheet being formed. Meanwhile, cousin Marc Seguin revolutionised communications by building the first cable suspension bridge.
1827
Paste collage, a new era for drawing paper. To avoid the sheet reacting like blotting paper, it had to be soaked in a basin of gelatine. With the arrival of the paper machine, there was an urgent need to modernise paper gluing.
How could such long sheets be soaked manually in a gelatine bath?
Barthélemy and Etienne de Canson perfected a process that was perfect for writing, drawing and washing. From then on, the sticky wax-based product was mixed with the paper pulp.
The Canson technological revolution continued.
1853
Vidalon photographic papers. Nicéphore Niepce had added a new dimension to art, that of photography; the paper manufacturers set to work to supply quality paper.
In their laboratory in Vidalon, the Canson family developed a paper for which they were awarded numerous patents in France and abroad.
This process avoided the use of gold chloride or platinum for toning and minimised costs.
A few years later, they introduced rolls of paper for industrial photography.
Napoleon III marries Eugénie de Montijo...
1877
Hundreds of references in the catalogue. 712 items, 80 mid-tone shades, wash papers, A or C grain papers, sheets and rolls, envelopes and cards.
Papeteries Canson and Montgolfier offered an increasingly wide range of products tailored to artistic demands.
Medals rained in at exhibitions.
1887
Van Gogh paints his Cabane aux tournesols on Canson and Montgolfier paper.
For centuries, Canson has enjoyed a creative relationship with artists.
In the summer of 1887, Vincent Van Gogh placed a sheet of Canson et Montgolfier paper on his easel.
Soon, lines and gouache covered the white surface. The famous sunflower hut in Montmartre was born.
Ingres, Delacroix, Degas, Maillol, Matisse, Picasso, Kandinsky, Braque... widely used and appreciated the different media that Canson made available to them.
Many of their works bear witness to this.
Their sensitivity and technique gave life and nobility to the material that is paper...
All ages have their own papers
1910
The Montval adventure. Finding quality rag paper for art editions was becoming increasingly difficult, so Aristide Maillol asked his nephew Gaspard to make him beautiful sheets for his woodcuts.
He set to work in Montval, near Marly-le-Roy, but the war interrupted his work and, on his return, he moved to the banks of the Deûme to make the famous Montval à la baigneuse in Vialon.
The Fauves, Cubists, Kandinsky and Paul Klee astonished the public, who discovered them at their first exhibitions.
1947
The birth of the Canson pouch.
Drawing teachers bending under the weight of their exercise books, drawings confined to their covers instead of decorating the bedroom wall.
Something had to be done, and Papeteries Canson came up with the solution: a paper pouch to sell sheets by the dozen and keep them...
The famous folder was born, the one that has stood the test of time and fashion... and hundreds of millions of copies have been produced.
1956
Arjomari, the paper group.
Three years earlier, the famous Johannot paper mills in Annonay had joined forces with those in Arches and Marais, and were joined by Blanchet and Kléber de Rives, giving rise to Arjomari (Arches, Johannot, Marais, RIves).
The buildings in Annonay were sold to Papeteries Canson et Montgolfier, who installed a new machine there, mainly dedicated to tracing paper.
In 1976, Papeteries Canson et Montgolfier became part of Arjomari, which became the majority shareholder.
1979
A stronger international presence.
This was the beginning of the creation of numerous subsidiaries abroad.
Canson strengthened its presence on international markets, setting up workshops beyond the Annonée basin.
2007
Canson joins the Hamelin Group, European leader in school and office products.