Pulp (paper)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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- Originally, the term pulp denoted cheap paper, first produced in the 1850s. Since then, it has also acquired the meaning of cheap literature: a host of maligned literary genres that probably begins with chivalric romances, then moves to dime novels and men's magazines.
Using wood to make paper is a fairly recent innovation. In the 1800s, cloth and linen were the primary material source. The advent of wood pulp led to dime novels or penny dreadfuls.
Chronology of the invention of wood pulp
1850 Friedrich Gottlob Keller of Germany devises a method of making paper from wood pulp. However the paper is of poor quality.
1852 Hugh Burgess, an Englishman, perfects the use of wood pulp by 'digesting' the wood with chemicals.
1867 C.B. Tilghman, an American chemist, improved the process of making paper from wood by using sulfites during the pulping process.
1879 C. F. Dahl, a Swede finally perfected the use of wood by adding yet another chemical. His 'sulfate' method spread rapidly and reached the United States in about 1907.
1883 Charles Stillwell invented a machine to make brown paper bags for groceries in Philadelphia. Today more than 20 million paper bags are used annually in supermarkets. Many of these are recycled into new bags and boxes.
1889 - 1900
Economical, mass produced paper became a reality. Paper production doubled to about 2.5 million tons per year. Newspapers, books, and magazines flourished. Paper found its way into schools, replacing the writing slate.
