What Is Inside An 1860s Scrapbook? A Look at Signature 1 (of 4)

Описание: In 2022 I obtained an old scrapbook. The original owner(s) of this scrapbook utilized a used account or ledger book dating from 1850-1852 upon which they pasted ephemera dating from between 1864-1869. This included ads, stories, quizzes, recipes, pictures, etc. In several places the writing on the original account book shows through -- adding intrigue and interest to the pages.

About half of the scrapbook contents are religious based -- including bible and Christian living essays, Sunday school stories, poems, and content dealing with the deaths of infants and children. The other half is less dark and preachy and includes gossip, humor, recipes, relationship and farming advice, ads promoting medicine, etchings, and historical figures -- many with ties to the Civil War.

In many cases, the content would not be considered 'politically correct' by today's standards and some is downright prejudicial and racist.

The clippings appear to have been obtained from farming almanacs, Protestant news sources, local newspapers, as well as youth, family, and ladies magazines of the day. The scrapbook maker was very likely from New York state -- and might have lived in a rural area around the Finger Lakes region of New York State. There are references to Seneca and Seneca Falls, Lockport, Canandaigua, Painted Post, and Hamondsport.

The writing style and vocabulary is very different from today and in many cases I could not understand the context -- often confused if I was reading sarcasm, satire, irony, or humor. This was particularly true in what I call the 'filler' clippings -- one sentence after another of entirely unrelated content.

The scrapbook was in poor condition when I received it. It was entirely missing its spine and back cover. I have a separate video showing how I repaired the book thereby adding a few more years of life to it.
#1860s #VictorianScrapbook #Scrapbook #Ephemera