ephemera

Ephemera Blog Gets 200,000 Views in 2010

In 2010, the ephemera blog surpassed 200,000 blog views with more than 131,000 unique visitors from 178 countries.

Thank you to all my friends from around the world. The ephemera blog continues to exist because of your support and readership.

Happy New Year.

 

1937 Dr. Seuss Animal Cartoon Lithograph Rare Early Fine

Up for bid on eBay is this very fine, original 1937 Dr. Seuss lithograph.

The seller says, "This was a very early creation by the iconic cartoon illustrator/children's book author, with a more adult vein of humor than he would work in his later career, but featuring the whimsical and half fantastical animal creations which only he could imagine."

"Seuss created one year's worth of these images for the Thomas D. Murphy calendar company's mailing calendar series, the seller continues, "and this was a calendar sample lithograph that was never distributed or publicly used. It is rare, and a very early and extremely well preserved Dr. Seuss collectible that came directly out of the archives of the Thomas D. Murphy calendar company, Ohio. It was printed on their signature low pulp content, high gloss textured paper, and so has suffered no toning or brittleness. 

A wonderful find with a scene of two birds proudly looking down into their nest with single egg as a neighbor investigates. Joke reads, "It's our first...don't you think it looks like George?"

This item high on my Santa Wish List. Come on Santa, baby!

Ragsdale Forced to Sell Entire NYC Ephemera Collection

I received the following email from a good friend of this blog, Michael Ragsdale, a well-known collector of New York City ephemera:

"Still out of work and unable to secure meaningful work for seventeen months during this economic downturn, and now in need of funds to simply pay bills and rent," says Ragsdale.

New York City area event-specific paper ephemera and autograph collector Michael Ragsdale has decided to sell his unique collections. [You may recall I wrote about Ragsdale and his two important 9/11 Aftermath archives, one of which is now in possession of researchers, designers, and the curator at the future 9/11 Museum and is presently being used as they create the permanent museum showcases. The 9/11 Museum is scheduled to open one year after the Memorial.] His second aftermath paper history still remains in his possession, an archive he was hoping to share with others and speak about next year in a cross country tour.

Ragsdale has asked that you write to him about anything you may be interested in or have questions about at mr390@mindspring.com.

Montblanc Gift Set LeGrand Document Marker and Cards

A Montblanc Gift Set is up for bid on eBay

The seller says, it "would make the perfect Christmas gift for anyone, boss, coworker, teacher, or student.  Comes with all the original Montblanc Corporate Gift packaging. Includes 10 lightbulb cards and envelopes plus the Montblanc Black Legrand Document Marker (highlighter) with Montblanc velour pouch. Purchased directly from Montblanc at a friends and family sale."

Collage Coterie Online Workshop

Green Paper Packages is offering a Collage Coterie Online Workshop for those that like to play.

The workshop is 8 full lessons. It takes place twice a week over 4 weeks, with a session every Sunday and Thursday. In each session you’ll receive:
- A new collage sheet, ready to print and use: vintage collage images, backgrounds or patterns
- New ideas and instructions, including step-by-step sample collage
- A new prompt for a technique or image from that session. Use it as a starting point, or go in your own direction!

Click here to view more details

Vintage Collage Classes for Beginners and Expert Artists

My friend Mary at Green Paper sent me a nice note today to tell me about the success of her online collage classes. She wrote:

I'm proud to tell you that as of August 2010, there have been 200 registrants for the Your Vintage Gluebook Class, which began on May 16th. There are currently 90 registrants for my newest class, Collage Coterie, which is going on right now. New artists are signing up for these classes every day, and I hope that both continue to be popular. I've seen so much interest these last few months in all facets of Vintage Collage art. There have been a surprising number of new artists, or artists moving from different mediums, signing up for my online classes and I sometimes feel they're undeserved by either course.

So, my next class will be for beginners to Vintage Collage. Because there will be some overlap between my other classes, I won't necessarily be recommending the beginner's class for past students, but will offer a generous discount to those who want to take part anyway.  Since I see an ongoing interest about collage art, and the vintage style in general, I hope there will be continuing interest in the beginner's course as well.

Mary does outstanding work. Anyone interested in learning this type of art would do well to sign up for one of her classes.

Ephemera Blog Reaches 1,600 Posts and Counting

This blog has crossed the 1,600 post mark.

Check out the sidebar link to "My Back Pages" for stories related to my life through memories spurred by ephemera. Or dig through the "Archives". A vault of ephemera goodness awaits. You can go back years and years.

Anyone who reads all 1,600+ posts will receive MAJOR KUDOS from yours truly. There will be a quiz.

Junk Mail - Guest Post by Daine DeBlois

I've been a full-time ephemera dealer for over 30 years, and a member of The Ephemera Society of America since its beginning in 1980.

I'm particularly intrigued by time capsules of junk mail.

Years ago, workmen renovating a former post office in our village began finding odd paper stuffed between the wall studs. The owner paused the project long enough for me to rescue what turned out to be a 'snapshot' of West Sand Lake in 1911. Some time in November of that year, the postmaster used the accumulated undelivered junk mail and promotional material as insulation.

I organized what could be salvaged (from the ravages of rodents, damp, and chimney heat) and placed it with the New York State Library. What the grouping showed, over all, were the inroads that mail order businesses were making to the local economy. And it showed how active in our area were organizations, now defunct, like the Hebrew Farmers Association.

Just last week, I found another such time capsule.

The Woman's Club of Albany, begun in 1910, had by this century dwindled to four octogenarian members. It was rescued by a new group of women anxious to save the 1895 mansion near Washington Park and to reanimate support for education, culture, women's rights, and public service. I joined last month when I discovered they wanted to organize their archives.

The papers were stashed in crannies and cupboards all over the house. And, in one dark corner, I found a shabby leather medical satchel – stuffed with unopened junk mail of 1916. We haven't yet carefully excavated it fully – but it is clear that this 'capsule' will indicate the network of associations of the Club. There are newsletters from women's groups throughout the country; information packets from other organizations working toward social betterment – particularly those aimed at city planning (the Club is proud of its campaign to begin garbage collection in Albany); and a variety of advertising aimed at upper middle class women (fancy shoes; Willys-Knight automobiles; elegant dresses).

Every so often, on return from many weeks away, I bundle up the junk mail, label it, and stash it away for future ephemerists! Diane DeBlois agatherin@yahoo.com.

Half a Million Lifetime Pageviews and Counting for The Ephemera Blog

The ephemera blog has reached a significant milestone.

A timpani please...the tote board says the blog just reached 500,000 lifetime pageviews.

Thank you. I'm humbled by your continued interest in my work.

Kindle Sparks Newspaper Survival Debate

A good friend of this blog, John Ptak, provided some interesting commentary on my recent Kindle DX post. John wrote: "I don't doubt that this is part of the future (near or not, I dunno). It makes me wonder about who will be able to afford Kindle (or whatever) in the interim between largely paperless newsmedia and the paper newspaper. seems like there will be 50 or 100 million people who won't be able to afford the digital means as the paper versions slipped away. Digital readers like Kindle I'm also guessing will be free or just about free at some near point, as will wireless, but in the meantime it seems dicey to me for the people who can't afford the means to read the news. On the other hand 50 million people (?) don't have health insurance, so this seems a little small-potatoey. But it does smack of the control-of-information to the working poor (and not so poor). Flux."

As always, I welcome and enjoy comments by John Ptak. He's a great blogger, thinker, and writer, and I respect his opinion immensely.

Of course, I was simply commenting on the positive impact that the Kindle DX would have on existing stockpiles of collectible newspapers--not the socioeconomics of the situation. Nonetheless, John makes some excellent points. However, I disagree with his argument the masses won't be able to have access to newspapers simply because some of the publishers turn to electronic outlets like the Kindle for delivery. In fact, the price of information should continue to plummet as we enter a more progressive, digital world. Technology, as a commodity, is a falling knife in terms of prices. For early adopters, the Kindle DX may be pricey, but that's been true for all consumer electronics from VCRs to iPods. Certainly, the Kindle will come down in price later; and, I suspect, they may even be given away at some point as a premium for subscribing to a newspaper that uses it for delivery of service—the whole point is to bring down costs--for the publisher and the consumer, right? I realize John is worried, and rightly so, about what might happen in the meantime. However, I haven't heard of any plans by the newspapers offering delivery via Kindle to shut down production of their paper-based editions. So, it looks like the Kindle is a win-win in the short- and the long-term. But, like I said at the outset, my perspective on the new Kindle DX was limited to the ephemera-related aspects of its existence—and, from that standpoint, I think the scarcity of newspaper will only enhance the value and interest in the collectible side of the equation as civilization moves forward.

What do you think?