Some cardboard modelling methods circa 1882

Richardson’s note that he found Bristol board a difficult material to model with got me wondering if anything had been written in the 19th century about how to make cardboard models, especially miniature buildings, from Bristol board. I’m particularly interested in any writings from say 1810, around the time Bristol board was invented, to 1859 when Richardson’s book was published. 

I’m not sure where to look, but I thought I’d start by seeing if there was anything in 19th century children’s magazines or architectural journals. My investigations are far from over, but I thought I’d mention this curiosity from The Boy’s Own Paper that ran in 5 instalments, beginning with the 11 November 1882 issue, called How the Reedham Boys Make their Cardboard Models written by ’The HEAD MASTER’. It's a series about how to build a model of a locomotive engine mainly using cardboard.

I think the 'Reedham' in the series title refers to the Reedham Orphange, called the Asylum for Fatherless Children, that was founded in 1844 and closed in 1980. According to Wikipedia its name was changed to just Reedham in 1862. I’m not completely confident that this Reedham is the Reedham in the title, so if you have any further information, please let me know.

The Boy’s Own Paper was a British publication that ran from 1879 to 1967, which was aimed, naturally enough, at boys. It contained a wide range of fiction and non-fiction that included, among other topics, stories about adventure, school life, sports, games, nature study, as well as quite a range of how-to articles, with many on model yachting. Let’s be clear, not model boating, model yachting, and those articles strike me as rather sophisticated for stories aimed at boys. 

Each year the various issues of the paper were collected together for a The Boy’s Own Annual. There’s an interesting collection of scans of a number of those early annuals at the Hathi Trust Digital Library. The 1882-83 annual is where I found the head master’s series. You can find the instalments on these pages: 85, 110, 124, 151, and 174.

Before jumping into materials you’ll need, the head master offers some encouragement in the first part’s introductory text:

To encourage those who may underrate their powers, and think it is useless to try, I would say that boys of nine, ten, and eleven, often produce very creditable work, and that those who produce the very best are not always those most highly distinguished in class-work. A few more words are necessary: take these three “P’s” as your helps, and I am sure you will succeed:

1. Be Precise: that is, endeavour carefully to carry out every detail.

2. Be Patient: that is, do not be too hasty in what you have to do.

3. Persevere: if you fail at first, “Try, try, try again.”

Then it’s on to a list of materials and tools: wood, card, gum in solution, water-colours, camel-hair brushes, elastic bands, pins, sand-paper, copper wire, crystal varnish, brass or steel chain, a few small pieces of coal, a knife, a cutting-board, cotton, and a few pieces of board for painting and drying gummed parts on. 

Regarding card, the head master specifies this:

(a) Thick, (b) medium, and (c) thin. The thick may be obtained from strong cardboard boxes; the thin can be bought at most stationers’ in penny sheets, about fourteen inches by ten; and for the medium obtain used postcards (white), which answer the purpose capitally.

No mention of Bristol board, which I think was likely a pricey specialty product, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. Regarding knives, the head master notes no special considerations need be made given who he thinks is going to be building this model:

A knife with a sharp edge. - Boys need no advice on this point. 

Closest thing to a finished drawing in the article

From here on it’s four-and-a-half instalments of how to turn that cardboard and miscellanea into a model locomotive engine. Interestingly there’s no drawing of what the finished item is supposed to look like. There are plenty of templates and assembly diagrams, but nothing of the finished thing in either the first or last instalment. I guess it’s assumed boys of that era knew full well what the end result was supposed to look like. 

Someone outside of Reedham must of took the series to heart as I found this letter to the editor in the 1883-84 annual.

No Bristol board yet, but the search continues.