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Friday, December 17, 2010

A Christmas Present, 1874

Inscribed "Christmas Present 1874 to Clara Winter
from her German Teacher J. Range"








I don't want to leave viewers with the impression that this book was constructed
with trifolds; I used the triple-page format just to display the entire book.


5 comments:

  1. The illustrations are just beautiful! They dont do em like this nowadays! I also enjoy buying old books with inscriptions as it gives you a littel doorway into someone elses life.

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  2. I have bought a lot of items from this period, and I'm always conscious that in a time when people were less saturated with imagery, and particularly moving imagery, such items as this must have stoked the imagination all the more.

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  3. You are right, for the time, a book of such multi-coloured images was a great luxury.

    I think Christmas is good time to appreciate the charm of antiques, especially in vintage paper, cards, and decorations. The images show the interest in foreign cultures such as the Turks and Hungarians. In the days before phone and jet travel, this must have been very romantic.

    I've just noted the two styles of lettering at the bottom of each page, the older German style, and the more modern type similar to what we used in print material today. I guess at this time, industrialization was rapidly changing style and perspective.

    I have a similar children’s book from my grandmother, circa 1915, and it is a treasured heirloom displayed under the tree each Christmas. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Oh, I would love to receive such a book for Christmas. The illustrations are so unusual! The details in each frame are fascinating. Thanks for sharing it with us Mark!

    H.H.

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  5. Hi Terry and H.H.! I'm glad you enjoy these images. I'll be sharing more ephemera, perhaps on a separate page, in the future ...

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