Paper matters!Paper expertise is important because paper is a "memory bearer". Its date and location of production can be estimated by examining physical characteristics of the paper. This leads to information on the technological, economical, social and cultural environment of its origins. Tracing the movement and the usage of a sheet of paper in time and space provides a thread of captured events that are a basis for historical research and exploration of cultural heritage.

Join us!

Tutorials – on-demand, program on websitePaper studies exhibitions – intinerant, ask to participate!12.2007-02.2008 – Stuttgart, Germany03-06.2007 – Vienna, Austria07-08.2007 – Fabriano, Italy09-12.2007 – Rome, Italy02.2009 – Vienna, Austria

What we do...

The objective of the Bernstein project is to create an integrated European digital environment for the expertise and history of paper. This project will interlink all existing European paper reproduction databases and make their content accessible for use to specialised image processing tools for the measurement of paper features. It will provide an interface to digital resources from domains related to paper studies, such as cartography and bibliography, which enrich and contextualise data on papers. To ensure sustainability of growth and interest in paper studies beyond the lifetime of the project there is a strong dissemination plan. This plan includes the provision for ready to deploy paper expertise software packs, tutorials and an exhibition.

Who benefits...

The ambition of the Bernstein project is to generate a conceptual and technical infrastructure to enable access to paper expertise for the broadest range of users possible by accommodating multiple usage scenarios. The main user communities targeted are historians and cultural heritage conservators. In addition to this, other areas such as the art market, forensic science, security research and the paper making industry, are expected to benefit from the paper identification capabilities. The focus of this project may be historical paper but applications to more modern papers are not excluded.

QUANTITATIVE CARTOGRAPHY

The squares show the relative market distribution of three watermark types in Italian paper, 1470-1500, based on the Piccard repertory. Do these variations show cultural preferences? marketing choices? historical randomness? data bias? (Ezio Ornato) Italy

Germany

Austria HISTORICAL METRICS

Finer paper needs finer tools: an increase in laid lines density reveals how Renaissance paper makers adapted to print technology. (from 600 WILC incunabula, Vlad Atanasiu)

14751476

1480

1485

1490

1495

1497

1500year

mm

/ 20 laid lines

handwriting era

printing era

mean

trend

19

21

23

25

27

29

1474

15

17

Laid lines density variationin Dutch incunabula

1. Frontlight: practically no paper structure information. 2. Backlight: ink screens the structure.3. Backlight-Frontlight-Subtraction: fairly good in some cases; cheap; simple software.4. Radiography: best results; expensive; restricted use in libraries.5. Rubbing: cheap; fast; objective; low resolution.6. Handdrawing: cheap; fast; subjective. (Georg Dietz; Alois Haidinger; Gerard van Thienen; Gerhard Piccard)

IMAGING TECHNIQUES

1.2.3.4.

5.6.

BERNSTEIN. THE MEMORY OF PAPERSwww.bernstein.oeaw.ac.at

Co-funded by the Community programme eContentPlus

[ like bernstein, paper captures sparks from far ago ]

Kum

agor

o Des

ign

Vlad Atanasiu / Emanuel WengerCommission for Scientific VisualizationAustrian Academy of SciencesDonau-City Str. 1, A-1220 Vienna, AustriaTel. +43 1 515 81 6705Fax +43 1 205 011 8900bernstein@oeaw.ac.athttp://www.bernstein.oeaw.ac.at

Austrian Academy of SciencesArchives of the State of Baden-WürttembergGraz University of TechnologyNational Center for Scientific Research, University Paris 1German National LibraryDutch University Institute for Art History FlorenceDelft University of TechnologyKoninklijke Bibliotheek, National Library of the NetherlandsUniversity of Liverpool

Reproduction Cataloguing Databases Dating Authentication Measurements Cartography Bibliography Exhibition Tutorial

image based digital paper expertise & history

Ferr

ara,

155

6

Den

Haa

g, 1

405

?, 1

470

Röss

el,

1597

Nap

oli,

1467

Mil

ano,

152

9

Pari

s, 1

510

Luxe

mbu

rg,

1535

Krak

au,

1530

Nap

oli,

1476

Avig

non,

140

6

Xant

en,

1431

Lucc

a, 1

329

Mad

rid,

157

7

Lond

on,

1540

Rom

a, 1

432

Riga

, 14

23

Wer

l, 1

554

Leip

zig,

149

9

Augs

burg

, 14

76

Graz

, 14

71

Mon

tbél

iard

, 15

47

Wie

n, 1

663

Ensi

shei

m,

1596

Ferr

ara,

143

9

Graz

, 15

39

Bopf

inge

n, 1

464

Arnh

em,

1418

Rave

nna,

146

1

Fabr

iano

, 14

49

Mos

kow

, 15

11

Köni

gsbe

rg,

1554

Köln

, 14

82

Stut

tgar

t, 1

450

Chau

mon

t, 1

443

Buda

pest

, 15

40

Utr

echt

, 14

61

Es

slin

gen,

144

1

DATABASE EXPERTISE

Watermarks become visible when holding papers such as a banknote against light. They are imprints left by the wires of a papermaking mould. Because a mould wears off in the process of work in around 2 to 5 years, the dating, authentication and sometimes localisation of documents from identified papers is possible on the basis of watermarks and other imprint features. (Below, the 38 watermark classes in use inpre-modern times, according to Piccard-Online)

C

M

J

CM

MJ

CJ

CMJ

N

project_folder2006_en.pdf 11/06/2007 16:23:03