HISTORICAL.
Every branch of industrial art possesses its champions and originators, who have employed their whole intellectual and physical powers to solve problems for the purpose of enhancing and furthering their material welfare.
Often from small beginnings, within a longer or shorter period of time, great enterprises spring into existence, which greatly further our development in culture, science and arts, and are blessings to the whole civilized world. The material welfare arising from them renders it necessary that new champions continuously enter the arena and combat in the cause of progressive industry.
The industries of color and paper making which play most important parts in the art of marbling shall be the first subjects of my essay.
The paper industry which is very highly developed will have a much better future on account of its possibilities in the line of improvement. To-day, in the iron-age, we speak of a paper-age, and for good reasons, because there hardly passes a year which does not bring new discoveries, showing the extraordinary adaptability of paper. One branch of the paper industry which to-day is considered as an especial part of the industry is the manufacture of colored paper, the origin of which, as far as our literature is able to state, extends as far back as the first part of the last century.
From it springs the art of marbling, which in latter years was introduced into our trade.
The manufacture of colored paper makes a second branch of industry indispensable and one which stands on as high a stage of development as the paper industry; this is the manufacture of colors, which deserve the greatest attention on our part on account of the marbling art.
There is hardly a second branch of chemistry which is of such a great old age, historically proven, as the color industry.
We hardly know of a nation on the whole globe which does not make use of color in some way. The use of color for the purpose of embellishment and adornment dates back to historical times. Nature itself, by the beauty of the colors of her flowers and minerals acted as a teacher in the artistic development of the human race.
Egyptian wall paintings show richly developed forms and figures adorned with multi-colored fabrics.