My latest article, published in  Comparative Oriental Manuscript Studies Bulletin 9 (Hamburg University} explores the technology involved behind the specific characteristics of 19th-century paper produced in Kashmir.

Kashmiri paper stands out among the many Indian handmade papers by its great fineness and extreme polish. It was used for artistic and literary works by Muslims and Hindus, as well as for utilitarian purposes. This paper re-articulates current knowledge about Kashmiri paper through the study of historical accounts and the description of paper-making in Srinagar provided by Victor Jacquemont, a French botanist and explorer, who visited the region in 1831 and described the craftsmanship behind the distinctive appearance of Kashmiri paper in great detail. His account is the earliest and most comprehensive account of paper-making in the region. The
theoretical information is illustrated by examples of documents and artefacts which highlight the multiple uses of this material in Kashmir during the nineteenth century.

The paper is in open access, link here

Copy of the Shahnamah (Wereldmuseum Leiden)
Paper mould collected by William Joseph ‘Dard’ Hunter in Srinagar, Atlanta, GA, Georgia Institute of Technology, The Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking, acquisition no. 317-318 (© Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking).
Making a paper sheet, photograph by William Joseph ‘Dard’ Hunter, Atlanta, GA, Georgia Institute of Technology, The Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking, (© Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking).
Detail of the paper on a lightbox (© Victoria
and Albert Museum, London; photo: Amélie Couvrat Desvergnes).
A treatise on Praśastapāda’s commentary on the Vaiśeṣikasūtra, features a low-quality paper (Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Sanscrit 868, photo: Amélie Couvrat Desvergnes).
Victor Jacquemont’s portrait (b. 1801, d. 1832)

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