Posted 10 years ago
Vrgdc
(25 items)
This is a Black Americana Scrapbook. It has many comic style images. I have no idea where these images came from or what they are. If anyone knows about these comic style images please tell me about them. If anyone has any thoughts or ideas feel free to comment. Thanks
Most look like advertizing cards .. not politically correct these days but to me at least historically significant as they show the prejudices of the past . ( though the scenes on ones TV screen suggest it has not completely vanished .
ozmarty,
Some look like a comic strip. So it must be a collection of Black Americana stereotype and prejudice as you suggested. There's quite a few pictures in that scrapbook. Thanks
From the photos you show its a Victorian album filled with period trade cards and calling cards. Very good subject matter! It's interesting that it is an album of just Black Americana rather than the usual hodgepodge of random trade cards and scraps.
Photoguy, Thanks! The album is 100% Black Americana. I'm sure you would know better than me about it being unusual.
It's a great album! I actually have the stove polish one.
Photoguy, the stove polish one looks like it's a comic strip. Look at the picture in the group photos. The stove and the characters and the stove are the same but, the colors are different.
I guess it is an advertisement. Because both of the captions are talk about stove blacking.
It appears to be part of a series of possibly several cards advertising the stove polish. It was not unusual for a series of trade cards to be made for a company.
If you google that Rising Sun Stove Polish - the two halves are shown as a circa 1880 bifold trade card. - Incidentally, they also show some with white folks, obviously caricatures - the company was in business from about 1883 to 1914. - You can probably get some good dating periods simply by googling the company names mentioned in the other advertisements. - Fantastic scrapbook you have.
Thanks Photoguy and aghcollect,
I'll try to research the company as you suggest.
This is an amazing post, first time where I can see a Black Americana Scrapbook, very interesting, love it.
Many thanks for share Vrgdc!
Virginia, Thanks! I'm glade that you like it.
Scrapbooking was very popular in the Victorian era-- I have seen others filled with advertising cards.
Two things really make your album a STAND OUT:
- Exclusively filled with African American stereotyped advertising
- CONDITION (album itself and lack of glue stains)
It is a real treasure. Any information on who assembled the album?
While glued in items are usually worth less than loose, this is probably a case where the beauty of the album and presentation as a COLLECTION makes up for any losses.
scott
Scott,
The scrapbook is in somewhat of a delicate state the pages are separated from the binding on the front side. There's nothing written in this scrapbook at all so there's no information about who assembled it. Thanks for your interest and your help.