ephemera

Bumpersticker Van

 

Paper Airplanes

Are you an expert at making paper airplanes or have a collection of vintage paper airplanes? If so, I'd like to feature you and your collection in an upcoming post. Leave a comment here, and I'll follow up with you.

In a similar vein, one of my most popular post was my interview with a man who builds model airplanes out of old 7-up cans. The post consistently receives dozens of hits each week via Google searches.

[Photo attribution: paper airplane image by Dmitri Krendelev.]

Paperclips and Other Threats

The paperclip. It looks harmless, but like its cousin the staple, this seemingly innocuous paper binder can cause irreparable damage to paper if left in place long enough.

Besides paperclips, in no particular order, here are the top destroyers of ephemera: Light, Heat, Humidity, Fire, Bugs, Water, Rubberbands, and Mice. These are the enemies, folks. To learn more about how to protect your paper, read an earlier post written by the Practical Archivist. To repair paper once it's damaged, check out: The Booklover's Repair Kit: First Aid for Home Libraries.

The first patent for paperclips was awarded to Sam Fay in 1867, but the first models that resemble today's fastener didn't arrived on the scene until 1877.  This may seem like useless knowledge, but if someone tries to sell you papers claiming to be antebellum, and they're held together with a paperclip--while not decisive--it should certainly raise doubts in regard to the age of the ephemera.

No paperclips were harmed in the writing of this post.

[Photo attribution: paperclip image by Tyler Howarth.]

What is Your Favorite Book?

What's your favorite book on the subject of ephemera? In a recent post, I discussed Maurice Rickard's watershed Encyclopedia of Ephemera: A Guide to the Fragmentary Documents of Everyday Life for the Collector, Curator and Historian. Now, I'd like to hear from readers about the books about ephemera that they find useful, fun, fascinating, and interesting.

If you'd like to write a review of a book that covers ephemera or an ephemera-related topic (anything is fair game--from books on baseball cards to stamps to postcards to junk store finds--even fiction that uses ephemera as a vehicle, such as The Swap), please leave a comment here, and I'll be in touch.

[Photo attribution: book love image by janetmck]

Collecting Motel Postcards - Tropic-Air Clearwater Florida

Once upon a time in America, people could afford to drive large, gas-guzzling automobiles hither and yon on what was known as "a family vacation." This concept is totally foreign to me. But I understand from reading history books that upon these journeys, Americans stayed in motels like the Tropic-Air in Clearwater, Florida.

I have some personal history in Clearwater. For the past five years or so, I've spent Thanksgiving Day in Clearwater with my wife's family. For me, nothing says Thanksgiving like 80 degree temperatures and bikinis. However, my purpose today isn't to extol the virtues of eating turkey, stuffing, and all the other holiday trimmings on a Florida patio in the baking sun. Instead, I'm paying homage to the wonderful ephemera collecting sub-genre of motel postcards and all things motel Americana. I've touched upon this subject in earlier posts. And, for a in-depth look at collecting motel ephemera, read my interview with Andrew Wood. For those interested in building a motel postcard collection, cards can be had relatively cheaply on eBay. And there's even a Flickr group dedicated to the subject.

For total immersion, you'll want to read Gas, Food, and Lodging: A Postcard Odyssey Through the Great American Roadside.

[Photo attribution: Tropic-Air Motel image by Marxchivist.]

American Idol Red Hot Ephemera Market

My wife has a thing for former American Idol contestant, Constantine Maroulis. So, I picked his cherubic punim to make a broad point about the hot market for Idol ephemera on eBay. In fact, MTV.com news reports that "the business of Idol ephemera and bootleg tie-in products is booming."

I did a quick search on eBay to check out some of the weird and wonderful Idol ephemera for sale. The majority of items fall into the personalized buttons, stickers, and t-shirt category. But there were more than a few items that made my head bobble and eyes roll more wildly than Paula's at a four-way stop. For instance, a quick scan of David Archuleta merchandise reveals some interesting paper goods, including Archuleta return address labels. Anyone collect return address labels of the stars?

And my favorite misfit Idol, Jason Castro, has inspired a slew of ephemera nuggets.

Surely, American Idol will eventually run its course, like a bad case of German Measles, and find its way on to the TV land scrap heap. However, I believe the ephemera the show has spawned will live on into the next century. I wonder if any crafty ephemera collectors have made American Idol a main focus of their pop culture collection. If you have, leave a comment here. I know we'd all like to hear more about it.

[Photo attribution: Maroulis image by Aine D.]

Independent Book Stores - The Comfort Food of Retail

Right before Atlantic Books shut its doors in downtown Asheville, I bought a used copy of Lanterns on the Levee: Recollections of a Planter's Son from them. The owner wrote a receipt for the book very much like the one pictured here (except I paid $8).

There's just something about independent books stores, especially used bookstores, that I truly enjoy; they're the comfort food of retail.

We're lucky here in Ashevegas. Even with the demise of Atlantic, there are still several independent bookstores left downtown, including one of the finest in North America, Malaprops. You might not get a hand-written receipt at Malaprops, but you're liable to see a literary gaint signing books on any given weeknight...and the coffee.

[Photo attribution: Leary's image by Laineys Repertoire.]

Vintage Fabrics Appeal to Artists and Collectors

When most collectors think about ephemera, vintage fabric doesn't normally come to mind. However, I think it deserves more attention from collectors, so today's post features an example, along with one of my patented useless anecdotal stories:

I once knew a fiber artist that worked almost exclusively with different types of fabrics and materials--from yarn to police caution tape. I was in awe of her work. At one exhibit that I attended, she unveiled an entire suit of armor made entirely out of standard rubber-bands. It took two men to lift it. Her genious knew no bounds. I often wonder what amazing masterworks she has produced since I lost touch with her a few years ago.

If you collect vintage fabric or use it in your art, like my old friend, please comment about it here, and perhaps, if you'd like, we can feature you in a future post.

To learn more about vintage fabrics, check out these books:

Vintage Fabric Style: Stylish Ideas and Projects Using Quilts and Flea-Market Finds In your Home

The Vintage Workshop Art-to-Wear

[Photo attribution: vintage fiber image by superminx.]

Best Selling Ephemera Books

Over the past two years, I've featured hundreds of books on a myriad of ephemera-related topics. Most of the books were recommended by subject matter experts--mentioned during interviews or guest posts. Today, I'm feature the best selling books (in no particular order) from all of those hundreds of recommendations.

Here at the ephemera blog, I'm able to get a sneak peak into what my readers buy when they click on of my links to the Amazon online store. I don't get specific info on what individuals buy, but the collective information is interesting and gives me a good indication on what's hot in the world of ephemera.

• Book Arts: Beautiful Bindings for Handmade Books
• Collage Lost And Found: Creating Unique Projects With Vintage Ephemera
• Encyclopedia of Ephemera: A Guide to the Fragmentary Documents of Everyday Life for the Collector, Curator and Historian
• More Than Words: Illustrated Letters From The Smithsonian's Archive of American Art
• Old-Fashioned Luggage Labels (Stickers)
• Pockets, Pull-outs, and Hiding Places: Interactive Elements for Altered Books, Memory Art, and Collage
• Warman's Paper (Encyclopedia of Antiques and Collectibles)
• The Booklover's Repair Kit: First Aid for Home Libraries

By the way, when you make a purchase at Amazon after clicking on one of these links, I get a small commission that helps me to improve the blog. I appreciate your support in this way.

[Photo attribution: Bookstore image by c'est moi!]

Charles Magnus Researcher & Jones Fellowship Recipient Rich McKinstry

Rich McKinstry is the Andrew W. Mellon Senior Librarian at H.F. du Pont Winterthur Museum. Recently, Rich was awarded the first Philip Jones Fellowship to pursue research on New York lithographer Charles Magnus. In the following interview, Rich discusses the award and his ongoing research on this fascinating aspect of ephemera.

ephemera: Tell me about your research on Charles Magnus. How did the project begin? What is the purpose?

McKinstry: Charles Magnus has been in the back of my mind for some time. There is a collection of his work at the Winterthur Museum, where I am senior librarian, that numbers about 250 pieces, and every so often we receive gift and purchase offers—mostly purchase—that include his items. We have prepared a database featuring images and text descriptions of our Magnus holdings and look forward to sharing it shortly with a larger audience via the Internet. Although Magnus’ name and what he created appear in print in articles and on many websites, there isn’t a single article that covers his career. Since he produced so much, I thought it was time to fill the void with an article about him.

ephemera: What challenges or obstacles do you encounter in your research? How do you overcome these challenges? How will the award help you in these efforts?

McKinstry: Magnus was so prolific. How am I going to sift through it all? Thankfully, there is a lot available electronically, which will ease the task of seeing what he produced. Much of what he did was from the Civil War era, but little survives—at least at this point, I think little survives—from the last decades of his career, from the 1880s and 90s. Where is this material? I plan to use the Jones Fellowship to travel to Washington, D.C., where nineteenth century U.S. copyright records are kept. Since Magnus seemed to register everything he printed, I hope they will identify what he did, especially during these years. I also will visit the Baker Library at Harvard to see R.G. Dun credit reports.

ephemera: What discoveries have you made so far?

McKinstry: I have next to me two boxes of articles that mention Magnus and hundreds of images of his products from online sources, including libraries, dealers, and stamp auction sites. Because of the nature of Magnus’ work—the creation of so many single sheets with illustrations and text—it is possible to study what he produced without having to rely on seeing all of his actual items, though of course originals are always preferred. The great discovery is that there are so many things available online.

ephemera: What will your research tell us about Charles Magnus and lithography in general?

McKinstry: I’m interested in Magnus as a printer who both reflected his times and was a leader in producing what we today call its printed ephemera. Part of what I plan to do is to compare his output with his contemporaries. But, this investigation is yet to come.

ephemera: What do you hope will be gained through your research?

McKinstry: I look forward to writing something that will bring together in one place as much information as possible that has been published separately about Magnus over the years. In tandem, I hope to add and offer new insights to what is already known. I also hope that other researchers will use what I do as jumping off points to explore Magnus even further. I would be delighted to hear from anyone reading this interview about Magnus items and sources.

ephemera: Congratulations on the award, Rich. Thanks for sharing your activities with the ephemera blog, and good luck with your research--it sounds like fascinating work.