Newfoundland Antiques and Collectibles

Paper Ephemera - Victorian Die-Cuts

The development of scrap books and albums date from the 18th century, they contained a wide variety of printed material, as well as paintings, drawings and “...a medley of scraps, half verse and half prose and somethings not very like either, where wise folk and simple alike to combine, and you write your nonsense, that I may write mine.”

With its elaborately embossed binding the scrap album or scrap book was an object of admiration, giving endless and pleasant recreation for its owner. Early albums, compiled mainly by young ladies of some social standing, were neatly arranged with poetry and original writings, often florid and sentimental together with the other accomplishments expected of every intelligent and well informed young lady - drawing and painting.

Suitable items were added with care and enthusiasm for when the book was complete it would be her most precious possession commanding a place next to the family bible upon the drawing-room table.

The flourishing period for scrapbook compilers achieved its height of popularity with the arrival of colour printing. From the mid 1860s Valentines and Christmas cards, with their paper laced and embossed decorations, colourful scraps and beautifully printed chromolithographs provided a ready supply of material for pasting into albums.

Production

Scraps, stamped embossed reliefs, chromos or die cuts are small paper images printed by the process of chromo-lithography and embossed.
After printing of the scrap the sheets were coated with a gelatine and gum layer which gave the finished sheets a glossy surface, embossing came next giving the scrap their three-dimensional look.

The final production process was to pass them through a punching / stamping press to cut away the unrequired areas of paper from the design leaving the individual images connected by small ladders, often bearing the name or initials of the maker.

The elaborate use of stamping can often be seen in uncut scrap sheets. Optimum use of space, required minimal cutting and lead to the intricate and ingenious design of the cutting die.

Examples of Newfoundland Dogs on Victorian Die Cuts

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The Ephemera Society of America

Reward of Merit Cards

Small chromolithographed cards were a popular medium for rewards of merit in the late 19th century and were carefully pasted into scrap albums where they could be viewed at family gatherings to show the childrens accomplishments at school.

The Reward of Merit was given by the teacher to a pupil for amongst other things punctual attendance, good conduct and improvement at school.