LATE 18TH CENTURY

The use of papier-mâché as a commercial concern was promoted in the late 18th Century by Henry Clay. Clay was apprenticed in John Baskerville's japan shop in Birmingham, and established a papier-mâché factory in 1770, receiving a patent in November 1772 for his heat-resisting panels suitable for lacquering or japanning. Initially the panels were made for the bodies of coaches and sedan chairs but was soon in demand for all manner of goods including bottle stands, boxes, tea boards and salvers. He received Royal recognition becoming japanner to King George III and the Prince of Wales, moving his works to London's Covent Garden in 1802. The vogue for papier-mâché continued in the 19th Century, the most prolific maker being the celebrated firm of Jennens & Bettridge who exported to both India and America (Shirley Spaulding Devoe, English Papier Mâché of the Georgian and Victorian Periods, Connecticut, 1971).