This engraving of a Fourdrinier machine from Ballou’s, also known as Gleason’s, is part of a larger feature on papermaking which features the Lawrence Paper Company in Essex County, Massachusetts. The Fourdrinier machine, invention of Paul Fourdrinier, consisted of large drums that continuously processed paper from wet pulp to dry sheets. The picture shows two women seated at the end of the calendar section of the machine, where the paper has been dried and is ready to be cut. These women are not even mentioned in the article as part of the papermaking process, despite being pictured both here and in a second image featuring the rag-sorting room.
For more information, see the AAS catalog.