torn-chestnutty pages

Evidence

"Three pages in, torn-chestnutty pages—so fine they were translucent when held to the light—welcomed me into the private lives of two seventeenth century families."

Remarks

The manuscript support for the seventeenth-century recipe books in the Louis C Leipoldt Collection (specifically MSB837:1(1) and MSB837:3(3)) is described as being exceptionally thin and translucent when held to light (p. 20). The author notes the paper has a 'chestnutty' color and is physically damaged ('torn'), suggesting oxidation and aging of the organic material. These volumes were 'written and used in an English context' (p. 20, footnote 3) before being transported to the Cape Colony. The researcher also mentions that the collection was interleaved or protected by 'plain crisp white paper' in its current archived state (p. 20).