Published monthly by The Ephemera Society of America, Inc. OCTOBER 2011 - ESA 32 EXHIBIT PROPOSAL DEADLINE January 1: In the past, we have had a variety of unrelated exhibits on display during our annual conference and show. Our president, and exhibits chair, Art Groten, thought that, this year, we might try something new. In keeping with our theme of how ephemera reflects social history, he calls for 20 singleframe exhibits (either 16 standard pages or panels measuring 33x44) on various topics whereby ephemera informs a social value. It might be a personal value, like honesty or romantic love, or a family value, like thrift, health, kinship or memory, or a societal value, like patriotism, unity, justice or peace. These are but examples of possible themes. The exhibit should not be merely a show-and-tell but a story, with a clear beginning, middle and ending. One may use a single type of ephemera or a variety. The exhibits are non-competitive. Each exhibitor receives a Certificate of Appreciation from the Society. - Seattle, October 8 & 9: 24 th Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair. www.seattlebookandpapershow.com. - Queens NY, until October 14: member Michael Ragsdale s exhibit of 9/11 ephemera. http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/art_library/exhibitions.html - Grapevine TX, October 15 & 16: North Texas Book & Paper Show. www.texasbooksellers.org. - Northampton MA, October 16: Pioneer Valley Book & Ephemera Fair, FlamingoEventz@metrocast.net. - San Marino CA, October 21 & 22: conference at The Huntington, Civil War Lives coconvened by Gary W. Gallagher of the University of Virginia and Joan Waugh of UCLA. $25. Registration: researchconference@huntington.org.
- Minneapolis MN, until October 28: exhibit Seed Stories focusing on the ephemera of marketing, at the Andersen Horticultural Library, http://andersen.lib.umn.edu/visitors.html. - Marfa, Texas: October 28-31. A Study trip sponsored by the Appraisers Association of America, www.appraisersassoc.org. - Worcester MA, November 4 & 5: conference at the American Antiquarian Society, Program in the History of the Book in American Culture and the Center for Historic American Visual Culture: Before Madison Avenue: Advertising in Early America (more papers on the same topic will be presented at the Library Company of Philadelphia, March 15 and 16). For full program and registration information: http://www.chavic.org/upcomingconferences.htm. - Swann auction of Eric C. Caren s important newspapers, photographs, letters, etc. Part 1, September 15: 1765 The Boston Post-Boy $19,200; Thomas Edison s notes from Pearl Street Station s first day $14,400; original plans for the Lusitania s steam piping $15,600. www.swanngalleries.com.
- Schmidt auction of Coca Cola memorabilia, September 17: 1896 poster Cures Headache, Relieves Exhaustion $105,000; 650 items brought $3.3 million. Auctioneer Richard Opfer: - PBA Galleries September 22 Americana & Californiana auction: 1856 engraving of George Caleb Bingham painting, Stump Speaking $3,600; large archive of photographs and letters of Japanese-American Baba Family of Oakland CA, 1900-1940 $1,200. www.pbagalleries.com. - Los Angeles CA, October 6-7: Heritage Auction of John Wayne memorabilia, including correspondence, annotated scripts, his passport & driver s license. www.ha.com/johnwayne. - Portland OR, October 11: Paige Auction. www.paigeauction.com. - New York NY, November 11: Swann Auction Galleries, Rare & Important Travel Posters (Hernando G. Villa s for 1933 Chicago World s Fair; 1911 Titanic broadside advertising thirdclass tickets; anonymous ca1934 California / Travel by Train. www.swanngalleries.com. - New York NY, December 1: Swann Auction Galleries, Printed & Manuscript Americana / Ocean Liner Memorabilia. www.swanngalleries.com. - New York NY, December 7: Doyle auction of The Estate of Joan Crawford, including archive of correspondence about What Ever Happened to Baby Jane. www.doylenewyork.com. - Houston TX: The Texas State Historical Association will hold a benefit auction through Heritage Auction Galleries in 2012. The deadline for donation or consignment is January 6, 2012. www.texanaauction.com. Ephemera in Print: - Board member (and Rickards medalist) John Grossman s new book has just been released: Labeling America which chronicles the history of cigar box labels, and particularly the story which John so assiduously researched of the Schlegel family of lithographers. For an article in
John s local Tucson newspaper: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/east/article_5e299757-e0b5-511d-b669-975103ffec54.html - Sacred Trash: The Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza, by Adina Hoffman and Peter Cole, chronicles the researches in a wealth of hidden 10 th to 19 th century ephemera found in an Egyptian synagogue. Especially interesting are the biographies of the scholars who worked over the last 120 years to reconstruct documents from fragments, and a lost culture from ephemera. - To Put Asunder: The Laws of Matrimonial Strife, by Lawrence H. Stotter, is a lively history of divorce, nicely illustrated in color with ephemera. Oak Knoll Press, www.oakknoll.com. Ephemera in Institutions: - New York NY: The American Folk Art Museum WILL stay open at its current location at Lincoln Square, despite financial difficulties. The Brooklyn Museum, the New-York Historical Society and the Museum of Art and Design all have expressed willingness for collaborations. - Philadelphia PA: The Library Company has received as a donation The Raymond Holstein Stereograph Collection of around 2,000 Philadelphia images, representing five decades of collecting. Shown here is an image taken by Philadelphia photographer J.W. Hurn (1860s & 1870s) of a model of an unidentified building. What is it? Why did Hurn photograph it? Send answers to printroom@librarycompany.org. Ephemera on Line: - SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS? (from Vice President Nancy Rosin) One of the great joys of collecting ephemera is virtually everything that follows the thrill of the acquisition process. Like Alice s adventures in Wonderland, through curiosity, one is apt to discover a fascinating new world of friendship, unending pleasure, and undoubtedly, wonderful surprises. How many exist? Have you ever seen? What year was it published? Who was the artist? Just a few of the questions that often confound us all. Knowing that others collectors, dealers, museums and librarians may have the same questions, or perhaps have discoveries to share, can be the start of a valuable way to enrich our experience. Study groups have been very successful in the philatelic world, as a way in which people share, through email or local gatherings, their common interest. Let s all try to add a new dimension to our world of ephemera, connecting with fellow members and creating friendships that touch us, though our special bond. Our
Membership Directory lists areas of interest, and it is hoped that members will reach out to others who share their passion. Or, you may contact our Secretary, Mary Beth Malmsheimer, at info@ephemerasociety.org. for a list. - On our website, www.ephemerasociety.org, there is a well-visited tab called What is Ephemera? with a list of various categories several of which still needing text and images can you help fill in the gaps? dicksheaff@cox.net - Member Shirley Sliker has for years been donating food, beverage, and appliance cookery bookets to Michigan State University, and now the collection is up on line: The Alan and Shirley Brocker Sliker Culinary Ephemera Collection www.lib.msu.edu/exhibits/sliker/ - The New York State Archives: online exhibit of photographs from The Factory Commission to study working conditions in a variety of industries and businesses 1911-1915, after the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. http://iarchives.nysed.gov/dmsblue/listcollections.jsp?id=66177. - Article on ephemera by Susan Halas in an on-line publication Americana Exchange Monthly, for book dealers, collectors, librarians and others bookish. www.americanaexchange.com. - Maine Memory Network exhibit: Twenty Nationalities, But All Americans highlights the post WWI Americanization programs, including one run by Clara Soule for the Portland ME public schools. http://www.mainememory.net/sitebuilder/site/1718/page/2729/display?use_mmn=1 - Tamar Zimmerman recommends a website where an anonymous blogger mines images. There is also a book called Bibliodyssey by Fuel: http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/ Ephemera Dealers: - Herman Darvick, lead researcher for University Archives, Inc. was featured on PBS History Detectives, authenticating a 1775 almanac that had been used as a diary: http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigation/1775-almanac/ Ephemera Requests: - Phyllis Mazzaferro-Allebach has several paper collections she would like to pass on: National Park brochures, hotel & resort pamphlets, menus, bookmarks, calendars of photographic landscapes. If you can help, contact her at 515 South Washington Street, Tiffin, Ohio 44883. - Michael & Julie Kukowski just acquired the hospital muster roll of June-August 1858 for Camp Floyd in the Utah Territory; and an 1885 letter from Jay Cooke about silver mine land speculation near Duluth MN, and would like to make the contents available to any researcher.
Ephemera Everywhere: - Minnesota State Fair sculpture competition first place: Return to Sender figure, dog and mailbox covered with return address labels. Ephemera Alphabet Challenge (send to the enews editor, Diane DeBlois agatherin@yahoo.com): - Thanks to Susan W. Berman for these advertising poster stamps from Germany.