Vélin de Moirans

Here’s a box of Vélin de Moirans writing paper and envelopes. Moirans is a town in the Isère department in southeastern France. There was paper-making in that area for nearly five centuries, with the earliest mill purportedly dating back to 1480. I suspect this box was made in the late ’40s or ’50s. There’s reference on the back of it to some kind of trademark registration in 1946, which must have been around the time production resumed after its wartime hiatus. Sadly, Les Papeteries Barjon closed down for good in 1977.

The paper is of a very good quality. The sheets measure approx. 16cm x 21.5cm, and are watermarked along one longer edge with the pseudo-handwritten text “F. Barjon Moirans”. The envelopes are lined with dark brown tissue. A slip inside the box assures the buyer about the excellence its contents in French and English, the latter concluding “The Moirans trade-mark therefore constitutes for you the highest guarantee of perfect quality and the best certificate of origin.”