Conference & Fair EPHEMERA 22 March 15-17, 2002

Schedule of Speakers and Presentations

Friday, March 15 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Mark Me Well: Bookmarks, Pagemarkers and Bookmark Ephemera
Lois Densky-Wolff

In the world of antique 'smalls' and ephemera illustrating advertising art and other topics, nothing beats collecting bookmarks and pagemarkers. Lois Densky-Wolff's fascination with old bookmarks and pagemarkers began 15 years ago on a trip to London where, at the English ephemera society's annual show, she bought her first antique paper bookmarks. She's been hooked ever since. Lois will survey bookmarks and bookmark ephemera with illustrations from her collection.

An archivist and librarian, Lois has amassed a substantial bookmark collection. Lois is head of the University Libraries-Special Collections Department at the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, where she has been busy collecting ephemera documenting New Jersey's medical heritage. She contributed the bookmark description on the Ephemera Society's web site.

Ephemera at the Hagley Museum & Library
Jon Williams

The Hagley Museum and Library in Wilmington, Delaware, has one of the foremost collections of materials relating to business history in the United States. Staff at Hagley recognizes that ephemera plays an important role in interpreting this history. They actively collect trade cards, workplace posters, sample books, and postcards. There are also, of course, large archival collections that contain much business paper.

Jon Williams, Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Prints and Photographs, will present examples from these large holdings and discuss exciting new trends in research into the history of American business and technology that make use of them. Jon is a member of the board of directors of the Ephemera Society of America.

Friday, March 15 2:00-4:00 p.m.

How do you get to Carnegie Hall History? Ephemera! Ephemera! Ephemera!
Gino Francesconi

Carnegie Hall's archivist started with three small boxes of material in 1986. By the 1990-1991 centennial season, enough material had been gathered-including 17 Beethoven piano sonata manuscripts-to create 10 exhibits around New York City and open a museum. Hear how it was done. The museum began with a Tchaikovsky exhibit 100 years to the day after Tchaikovsky arrived in the United States to participate in the opening of Carnegie Hall. That exhibition led to nine other temporary exhibits, all of which included manuscripts never before displayed in the United States on such topics as Gustav Mahler's last four years; the 150th anniversary of the Vienna Philharmonic; the 100th birthday celebrations of George and Ira Gershwin; and the Beethoven piano sonatas.

Gino Francesconi is Archivist and & Museum Director at Carnegie Hall. He began his association with Carnegie Hall in 1974 as an usher while attending the Julliard School as a student of conducting. Subsequently, he performed various other duties, including being the Artist Assistant backstage for more than 3,000 performances, working with such artists as Vladimir Horowitz, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Herbert von Karajan. Gino left Carnegie Hall in 1984 to further his studies in Italy, returning in 1986 when he was offered the job as Archivist, charged with finding material necessary to curate a single retrospective exhibition during the 1990-1991 centennial season. Gino has curated more than a dozen exhibitions in the museum.

John Wanamaker: Philadelphia's Merchant Prince
Bruce Conner

Philadelphia-born John Wanamaker (1838-1922) became a local and national Horatio Alger. He founded a business empire that eventually employed nearly 12,000 people and amassed a personal fortune valued at $35 million at his death. In April 1861, on the eve of the Civil War, Wanamaker opened a clothing store in the rented first floor of a building in Philadelphia. He later opened stores in New York, Paris, and London. He has been credited with inventing the department store and developing it into a viable and profitable business venture. His first day of business took in $24.67, but only 67¢ made it to the cash box. The remaining $24 was used to advertise! Wanamaker advertised more than the products he sold, also highlighting the service and honesty that customers could expect to find when they came to his establishment. The ephemera that exists from his lifetime, including letters, trade cards, postcards, newspapers, and catalogs, combines to form an expansive record of Wanamaker's marketing principles and strategies. In addition, it provides insight into the evolution of a "Merchant Prince."

Bruce Conner, a lifelong resident of Philadelphia, enjoys the opportunity of being surrounded by the history of the United States in that city. He has an eclectic range of interests, including the life and achievements of John Wanamaker and the effects of anti-slavery movements on past and current history in America. He has worked in health care and social service and recently concluded a career as a personnel manager with the US Navy. Bruce is now active in antiquing and genealogical research. His affiliations include the Trade Card Collectors Association and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Bruce is a member of the board of directors of the Ephemera Society of America.

Sunday, March 17 8:30-11:00 a.m.

Out of the Box and Onto the World Wide Web-Considerations for Digitizing Ephemera
Scott Weimer

Museums, corporations, dealers, educators, institutions, and private collectors increasingly are using the Web to give public access to their collections, do research, and improve what they have. Don't miss this session for tips for making paper ephemera collections available in digital form for the Web. Scott Weimer, account executive at VTLS Imaging Solutions, will explore the issues and choices that surround each digital imaging project. Scott will speak about digitization planning, workflow considerations, outsourcing issues and end-user design.

Scott Weimer began at VTLS in 1998 as a project manager in the international sales department. In this position, he acted as a front-line customer liaison and worked with software implementations of the Virtua Integrated Library System. Since October 1999 Scott has been responsible for expanding the marketing and sales activities of the imaging solutions division, a growing part of VTLS. During his tenure in this position, he has provided graphic design services, engaged in extensive direct sales, represented the company at trade shows and conferences, and initiated new product development. Scott has a BS in Political Science, and an MBA from the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech. In addition to his work in the library automation industry, Scott has held a variety of marketing and promotions positions in college athletics and professional baseball.

An Ephemeral View of Charles Lindbergh
Barry Friedman

Barry Friedman has virtually flown single-handedly across the Atlantic countless times through his research into the life and family of Charles Lindbergh. The Robertson Collection, images from which Barry will show, provides an ephemeral snapshot of the American legend, including Lindbergh's last payroll check as an airmail pilot; his first consulting check in building the Spirit of Saint Louis; the deposit check to open the escrow account for the plane; and invoices for its instrument panel and the gas, oil, sparkplugs, and lettering of the plane. Barry also will show the pilot's handwritten checklist for the mechanics when he made the maiden test flight of the Spirit of Saint Louis on April 28, 1927, to check out the plane prior to the famous flight across the Atlantic.

Barry is co-founder of collectingchannel.com, and his company produced the television show "Treasures In Your Home: The World of Collecting." He has been collecting for more than 30 years and is widely known for his passion about Charles Lindbergh. Barry is the researcher for charleslindbergh.com and the director of public relations for the CAL NX 211 Society, whose members focus on the Man and the Machine relative to Lindbergh. Barry collects various items, including ephemera relating to the Lindbergh family, and describes himself as a research nut. He holds a bachelor's in Economics, a master's in Psychology, and has negotiated deals in the interactive marketplace for more than 350 clients in the past 20 years.