F. W. Bailey was a Lecturer in Paper-Making at the Manchester College of Technology. He was actively engaged in research particularly during the 1930s, investigating bagasse paper, paper dyes and the use of various fibres for paper-making, amongst other areas.

In the course of his career, Bailey acquired a collection of resources including company literature, academic articles, books and paper samples. He donated this material to what would become the Science and Industry Museum in 1975, alongside some of his own research and correspondence. This material was intended to supplement the collections the museum had acquired from the National Paper Museum.