Dard Hunter was an American artist, papermaker, and craftsman born on November 29, 1883, in Steubenville, Ohio, and died on February 20, 1966. He is best known for his significant contributions to the art of hand papermaking and for his role in the Arts and Crafts Movement in America.
Hunter began his career as a designer at the Roycroft artisan community in East Aurora, New York, which was part of the broader Arts and Crafts Movement spearheaded by Elbert Hubbard. While at Roycroft, he designed books, stained glass windows, and other decorative items. His interest in traditional crafts led him to focus on the art of making paper by hand, a craft that had largely been replaced by industrial methods.
Throughout his life, Dard Hunter traveled extensively to study and document traditional papermaking techniques around the world, particularly in Asia and Europe. He authored several books on the topic, which are considered seminal works in the field. His books include "Old Papermaking," "Papermaking by Hand in America," and "Papermaking: The History and Technique of an Ancient Craft."
In addition to writing and studying, Hunter established a number of small hand paper mills in the United States and continued to produce and promote hand-made paper. He also founded the Dard Hunter Paper Museum, originally located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later moved to the Institute of Paper Science and Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, which houses an extensive collection of papers and artifacts related to the history of paper and papermaking.
His legacy includes not only his contributions to the craft of papermaking but also his preservation of papermaking techniques that might otherwise have been lost. His work has continued to influence artists, designers, and craftsmen interested in traditional papermaking and the broader Arts and Crafts Movement.