Plumassiers

This book reveals the world of feather makers who have entrusted the secrets of their trade to the photographer Rip Hopkins. Hardly known among to the general public, feather makers remain discreet and stay in the shadows; for reasons of modesty and preservation of their precious craftsmanship, handed down from generation to generation, often within the same family. Rip Hopkins takes us to South Africa, the origin of ostrich feathers, which have ever been present since the birth of the profession, before going back up the chain via France, England, Belgium and Italy, as he met people.

The texts relate many ways and techniques used in feather work, whether it is a military hat feather, a cabaret boa, a bed duvet or a hackle – wrapping a feather around a hook to make a dry fly that will float on the surface of the water to catch a trout. A rare book on a topic that has not been covered for over a hundred years.