The Ephemera Society of America

Ephemera Journal, Volume IX

Volume IX contains two of the six papers given at the Ephemera Society's fifth Symposium, held in 1995 in Williamsburg, Virginia, and one paper given at Ephemera 20, held in 2000 in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Articles:

Chromolithography and the Cigar Label: Sometimes the Label was Better than the Cigar, by John Grossman
Living Preachers, Through Voiceless Lips: Printing for the Nursery Industry, 1840-1920, by Sandra Markham
North American Cameo Stamps, 1850-1880, by Thomas Beckman

Although the three articles in this number of Ephemera Journal may seem disparate at first glance, there is a common element that binds them together. Each one is concerned with a particular kind of artistic printing and its development. As author Sandra Markham observes in her article, the individual ambitions of printers and their customers spurred each other's growth and achievements.

Sandra Markham, archivist, considers the printing businesses in Rochester, New York, that produced catalogs, illustrations, magazines, and other items used to advertise the goods of local nurserymen. There were many opportunities for printers to stay busy issuing these publications since Rochester was at one time the horticultural center of the United States.

John Grossman, a graphic designer and founder and owner of a museum-quality collection of antique images, tells us about the art of the cigar label. In America, cigar smoking grew steadily until the late 1800s when the emergence of a large and prosperous middle class provided a significant market for the product. Advertisers contracted with chromolithographers to create advertising labels and, as a result, established a new printed art form.

Tom Beckman, registrar at the Historical Society of Delaware, brings the cameo stamp to life. Building on the pioneering work of Bella C. Landauer, Tom identifies more than 60 of their designers and makers in the United States and Canada. In addition and among other things, he writes about their motifs, comments on how they were simultaneously color-printed and embossed, and speculates on their demise.

Sandra Markham and John Grossman presented their papers at the Ephemera Society's fifth symposium in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1995. Tom Beckman originally gave his paper as a talk at Ephemera 20, the society's 2000 conference, in Old Greenwich, Connecticut.

Ordering Information:
Available for $18.00; $15.00 to members of the Ephemera Society; plus $3.00 for postage. Order from the Ephemera Society of America, PO Box 95, Cazenovia, NY 13035 or visit the online store.

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Non-members $18.00