Collecting Ephemera - What's THAT!!??

Hi Everyone!

Sorry its been awhile since last blogging, but LIFE does tend to get in the way at times!

Ephemera is a term used for all sorts of PAPER COLLECTIBLES.  Matchbook covers, menus, ticket stubs, postcards, letters and so on!  Paper can disappear so quickly with moisture, and the fact that people will simply throw these items out!  Collecting these items can be a challenge!

REAL PHOTO POSTCARDS.  Often seen as the shortform "RPPC".  In the early part of the 20th century people used postcards for a economical way to stay in touch.  Many were issued using a REAL PHOTOGRAPH of a typical street scene, or a person posing, or any sort of memorial.  Black & white, sepia and even hand tinted cards were sent all over the country and all over the world!  Here are some examples:

A turn of the century scene on THE SANDS, the beach, at Hornsea England.  Donkey rides, swings, and other fun activities! 

A Souvenir postcard from France, featuring a women in turn of the century dress and pictures of French postage stamps, with hand tinting in pink, blue & green.

A postcard used for promotion for a restaurant in Quebec City Canada.  It depicts a disastrous event!  The first collapse of the work-in-progress bridge over the St Lawrence river where many men lost their lives.  A huge engineering error in the early part of the 20th century.

STEREOVIEW PHOTO CARDS are stereoscopic photos, two of the same photo next to each other, on a hard board card, and when viewed through a Stereoscope or Stereopticon viewer the scene appears to be in 3D.  An early viewmaster??!!  Popular for entertainment in the latter part of the 19th & early 20th century. 
Some examples:

The Basilica Cathedral in Quebec City, Canada.

A view of T. Eaton (Eaton's) Ladies' Whitewear Department (early lingerie!) c1910 at their Toronto Canada store.

PHOTOGRAPH NEGATIVES.  Early negatives were often thrown away after a print was made, or were damaged from storage. 

An envelope, showing some damage, that kept some early studio head shot negatives protected from the early days in Hollywood!  Even this envelope is a collectible!  A silent screen cowboy actor's photo negative was discovered inside.  See below for one of the shots, in a full 8x10 sized negative.

Negative is imprinted with the Photo Studio's name, King Studios, no longer in business.  Thanks to the modern magic of Photo Shop, here is what the developed photo would have looked like!

Now who is this silent movie cowbow actor?  William "stage" Boyd?  Not the William Boyd of Hopalong Cassidy fame, but another actor that he was often confused with.  Or could it be another actor of cowboy fame?  Does anyone know?

VINTAGE GREETING CARDS are another collectible!  Whether used or not!  The graphics are sought after, often to be remade into a collage, or gift tags, or just kept as they are.
See this example that is complete with the vintage envelopes & is unused.

 Poinsettia Christmas Greeting Card, unused and with graphics indicating c1920's to 1940's.

VINTAGE STATIONARY.  Who else keeps the blank stationary & envelopes offered in many hotel rooms?  Here is an example of some colourful blank stationary from Hawaii!

Stationary from the Reef Hotel Hawaii 1963.  It even has the matching envelope!

These are just a few examples of the category EPHEMERA.  All items and many more can be viewed at Mandicrafts.  View HERE.

Bear Hugs
Mandy