Stillman & Birn

Stillman & Birn is a brand that has been associated with the art supplies industry in the United States for decades. The original company was founded in 1958 by Philip Birn (1911 -2004). Birn was a highly admired bookbinder from Vienna who brought his "old world" craft to a small factory in the SoHo district of Manhattan. Today SoHo is a district filled with trendy shops, restaurants and expensive apartments, but in the 1950s SoHo was the centre of the lighting industry. From his small factory at 270 Lafayette Street, Philip Birn became a pioneer in the craft of black hardcover sketchbooks.