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1851

Work Table

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Traditionally, papier-mâché (an English term that uses French words - literally "paper-chewed") was molded from pulped paper and glue. But by the middle of the nineteenth century, finer objects, like this table, were made with sheets of paper that were compressed into a mold and heat dried. The surface was then japanned--a process that imitates Asian lacquerware techniques--before being further ornamented.

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Work Table, 1851 | Philadelphia Museum of Art