Art of the Marbler

I am the 17 year old apprentice who appears in this video. I went on to produce these unique designs for a further 42 years until 2012 when I had to give up due to health problems.

I am the granddaughter of William Chapman and we (the family) never knew this film existed until I googled his name and this came up. We are all so proud of him and his work. Unfortunately he passed away just over 3 years ago at the grand age of 98. He had a long and happy life and marriage which he shared with my nanna for over 70 years. He is very much missed by all of us , so this little film has made us so happy.

My sister, my brother and I are the children of William Chapman, the marbler in this demonstration video.  His grandaughter, Heather discovered this amazing record of our fathers skills and craftsmanship.  We are all nearing retirement and treasure this remarkable archive as part of our family's heritage to be shown to future generations.  Many thanks to the Bedfordshire Archives from our family for releasing this previously hidden gem for all to see and appreciate.

There is something about these 16mm documentaries that are kind of comforting.

Documentaries like this are so superior to modern ones. These teach you so much more and show the process so much more clearly.

wow! a film made more than 50 years ago that still delights in 2022, It's amazing how art, music, unites people no matter what country or continent Many thanks to the person who put this movie on youtube

This film is (ever so slightly!) older than me, and so much to learn from, having just taken an interest in marbling. What wonderful skills preserved and shared across the world, thank you!

ngl I am obsessed with this video, I keep coming back for it every so often. Everything about it just works so well: the 70s colours, the voiceover, the slightly distorted music, the serious demeanour of the craftspeople, I love it. Thanks so much for posting this!

I hope this tradition never dies, thanks for sharing'

What a wonderful video (and the stories in the comments). It´s proofs, how timeless it is (still watching in 2020). Thank you for that.

At any moment I expected to see John Cleese sitting at a desk, "And now a housewife from Bolton painting a chicken."

Well done Bedfordshire Record Office [ 1970 ] for this gem.  Who had the foresight to make a video recording of such immense and rare skill ?  And what a source of utter joy and justifiable pride for both the descendents of the family and to the work colleagues and friends of Douglas Cockerell's  marbling company. This video of pure craftsmanship has given me much pleasure and satisfaction. I can't remember how many times I have chosen to watch it. I just hope that there are more people in positions who can make such recordings now of wonderful skills and beautiful crafts that in 20 to 50 years time, no-one in this rapidly changing world will have known that such things existed. I recently asked about 15 photographic shops if they could print out some photos from some old negatives, a few on glass, and none of them could help me. They were all wrapped up in the digital explosion. Advances in technology should be welcomed but we should also look at the price we have to pay and to look after and preserve our rich creative heritage and older technologies before they are forgotten. Thank you Bedfordshire Record Office. And thank you Pamela, Heather and Peter. Incredibly beautiful. I do hope the Arts Council and others are doing a lot more to keep these skills and knowledge strong enough to be kept alive,  vibrant and valued to be handed down to future generations.

It was a very pleasant surprise to find this short info film - it reminded me of the marbling and book binding courses I did in after school hours back in 1963/4. The strikingly bright and beautiful designs which could be quickly produced made me very proud of the beautiful bound books we produced. I have now retired to rural France - perhaps this is a hobby I could take up again?

well its now 2017 and i have know idea how i arrived at watching this short film, but as soon as it started i could not stop watching, absolutely amazing, i never knew thats how they made Marble paper, its true what they say, "you learn something new every day" a big thumbs up

Classic colours from the 70's! My Mum sewed the curtains for our local primary school and those browns, oranges, blacks and white were used... Memories... Thank you!

I apprenticed at pinewood studios 25 years ago, we still use a similar technique to this day,a dying art but not forgotten,thank you for your craft,it is still applied too,to this day

Hello John, no we don't have that video, we only have this one because we made it.  My understanding is that the rake contraptions were to both increase productivity and precision for making the range of distinctive Cockerell patterns. 

I think it really speaks volumes of the content of quality of the film, when despite its obvious age, it can keep such rapt attention from viewers. Such an interesting video!

Seems he died in 1987 at the ripe old age of 81. RIP master artist and conservationist Sydney Cockerell! http://cool.conservation-us.org/byorg/abbey/an/an12/an12-1/an12-102.html His father's book, "Bookbinding, and the Care of Books by Douglas Cockerell", is available for free on Project Gutenberg! http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26672

I did several of these in college. One of my favorite ways to create art.