Victorian Family, 1896

  This is an illustration by Bertha G. Davidson, used as the frontispiece for the book "The Merry Five" by Shirley Penn, published in 1896. 

  I'd always wanted a large family like this, full of siblings. Though being a sensitive child who needed my quiet time, this was a completely illogical wish! Still, this sweet image conjures up all kinds of homey, loving vibes.

  This image is in the public domain and can be used freely - alter, print, craft, enjoy! Click the image to view a larger version, then save it to your computer.

Girl hugging grandmother, 1887

   This one hit me hard. The illustration and the story it accompanies went right to my heart. Poor Nora’s favoritest doll meets with misfortune in the form of a mischievous kitty. She runs to her grandma in tears, certain her doll is ruined. But grandma saves the day, as grandmas often do. She tells Nora about a similar experience she had as a girl, all while fixing the damage to the beloved doll.

   The story ends with Nora exclaiming,

“I do think that grandmas are the very best folks to have around when things happen!”

I heartily agree. I was fortunate enough to have a nana much the same, who seemed to be able to fix everything at any time. Let's hear it for those very special grandmas! 

   This image was included in the Little One’s Annual, a collection of stories, poems, and illustrations for children published in 1887. It accompanied the short story, “Dolls’ Trials” by Mary Elizabeth Northam (M.E.N.) Hatheway. 

Boston Library Society, 1888

   This is such a neat piece of ephemera! I found it while searching through old books online. This is one of those cases where I forgot to write down where I got it from (oops!), so I can only credit HathiTrust's vast resources. Check out that potential late fee of a whopping 1 cent!

   I learned from a little searching that the Boston Library Society was a subscription library founded in 1792. It had many notable members until it merged with the Boston Athenæum in 1939.

   Being from Boston and loving libraries, this is an extra-special find to me. I hope other book nerds and ephemera lovers will appreciate it, too! 

Sewing Machines, 1905

   I have a special connection to all things sewing thanks to my nana, so these neat vintage sewing machines immediately caught my attention. They're all from a 1905 London catalogue. 

   This model is called the "Elsa Sewing Machine", a "Hand machine on [an] iron base." It looks so handy and portable, but I bet the iron made it heavy! 

      It's interesting that for all the ways sewing machines have changed - and they can certainly do a lot more now, I'd imagine - the overall design hasn't changed so much. The bobbins of thread on the top, the crank on the side. 

   The one above was captioned as "The Bradbury Company's celebrated English-made machine."

   I was able to remove the background from a couple of these, to make them handy for digital crafting. Everything here is in the public domain - create, share, and alter however you wish! (Remember to click on the image for a larger size!)

French Label Pages, circa 1900s

   Ooh, I'm so excited to share these pages! They come from a French printer's catalog circa 1900. I had originally thought to just make my favorites into a printable, but there were so many awesome ones, I decided to share them all!

   My personal favorites? That's a tough one, but I do like the simple ones below. Wouldn't they look right at home on an old apothecary jar? 

  But perhaps your tastes run a bit fancier? You might like these...

  

   I have a few more that I loved, and I'm sharing the whole bundle over at Ko-fi. Don't worry - they're free. (Everything I share over there is!) So check it out at Old Paper Press on Ko-fi and let me know which page or label is your favorite!

Children Illustrations by Mary Ellen Edwards, 1892

   Can't you just feel the excitement of these two little girls, reaching excitedly for passing butterflies, seeming as if they're trying to call them over, like they would if they saw a friend across the road. 

   But the baby is my favorite, sitting contentedly nearby, captivated by the flowers surrounding her. 

  The amazingly talented Mary Ellen Edwards illustrated the images here for Frederic Edward Weatherly's Among the Daisies, published in 1892.

   This second one shows a family eagerly waiting for their father to come home. It accompanied a poem called "Daddy's Coming", which read in part: 

'Tis the hour we love the best,

           Daddy's coming :

For he tells us tales, you know,

Of the brave days long ago,

And we love him, love him so,

       Daddy's coming.

Children Gardening, 1899

  This one makes me smile. A girl works in the garden, while the child beside her watches his sister, or maybe just daydreams...but certainly isn't doing any work!

  I tried - and failed - to find the "E.J.H." that is signed on this illustration. This will have to be one of those images where we need to enjoy the work without knowing the name of the talent behind it. (But...oh, I'd love to know!) 

   This one came from "Bertha's Garden and Other Stories", published in 1899.

Fashion Collage Pages, 1883

  I've mentioned before that fashion isn't really my thing. But when I came across these pages in an 1883 catalog, I thought others might enjoy them - either creating with them or just browsing them. 

 

  This is one of those cases where cropping each image and presenting them separately would have taken something away - these pages needed to stay together! Though I will admit, it's that neat typography that's my favorite!

  Notice the fan shape with the woman's image inside, one on either side of the page? I'm itching to use that in a craft - I just need to think of which one! 

  These pages are from "Specimens of Electrotype Cuts and Ornaments", printed in 1883 by the Blomgren Bros. & Co. in Chicago.

   Oy, corsets and these dastardly uncomfortable-looking shoes? Nope, I would have made a horrible Victorian-era woman!

  I also shared these pages (and maybe a couple more!) on Ko-fi, if you're interested in hopping over there. The download is free (everything I share over there is!) and they are all in the public domain. 

  But I also had two PNG images to add, as well, while we're on the topic of footwear. One shoe and one boot. These have a transparent background. 

   

   To download anything here, click on the image for a larger version. Then right-click and save to your computer. 

  The Ko-fi goodies: (Is that considered nagging or reminding...?)

Ruth Mary Hallock Childhood Illustrations, 1904

   I've shared enough images that a pattern has started to emerge. I love "home-y" scenes - mothers and babies, children playing, girls with dolls. 

   Ruth Mary Hallock seems to be a pro at illustrating scenes like these. The ones in this post were all created by Hallock for the 1904 book "Every Day Essays" by Marion Foster Washburne.

  I did alter these slightly, changing the original sepia to black-and-white. But the realism and tenderness shine through whichever way you prefer it! 

  This last one I didn't crop. The caption is just too perfect - "With wonder-filled eyes expectant of fairy marvels in a city store". The illustration depicts this marvelously - the little boy gazing at the items for sale, a little girl looking on; and who could forget that little guy trying to peek over the counter (maybe they hide the really good stuff up top!). 

  As always, these are all public domain - I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Carrying Baby to Bed, 1888

   I can just imagine it's bedtime for this little one. He might be tired, but he'd never admit it! 

   This image is from a book of poems written by Robert Ellice Mack titled When All Is Young, published in 1888 and beautifully illustrated by Harriet M. Bennett. 

  And...yep, can't resist. Just one more from this book. (Promise!) 

 This is a sweet scene by any measure - two little girls, listening attentively to their mother. Maybe it's a thrilling story, maybe some good news to share. But it's the details that I especially love. Check out the doll in the background, dropped on the floor and forgotten, and the empty doll bed next to the chair. And we can't forget Fido, listening just as earnestly as the girls. 

  These images are all in the public domain and free to use however you wish. Click on either image (or both!) to get the largest size. 

Victorian children by John C. Staples

   I love these two kiddos, trying to make their boat float, letting go gently in the hopes it stays upright. (Float, little boat - you got this!) 

   These images are from F. E. Weatherly's Told in the Twilight, published at the end of the 1800s. These particular illustrations were all created by John C. Staples. 

  This is an...interesting book of poems for children. (That's one way to put it!) The collection included a poem about two girls distraught after finding a dead bunny, with a lovely illustration that I just couldn't bring myself to save because it tore at my heart, and a poem called "The Misguided Lamb" about a little guy who was "most crooked and contrary". Spoiler alert: the poor lamb does not have a happy ending. "Minnie's Calculations" tell the story of a girl who dreams of the money she will get for her chicks, when, one by one, they all die. Horribly. And there's another spread from the point of view of a cat who has apparently just eaten the pet bird, with an illustration of the cat sitting on a chair, looking down at two girls hugging each other and crying, the open bird cage empty on the ground beside them. Interestingly, the cat notes that these same girls eat the ducks and chicks they care for. An astute cat indeed.

   The illustrations in this book are unfailingly gorgeous and worth a look. The poems are mostly heartbreaking, with most having at least some element of despair, and should be avoided by the more sensitive among us. (Lesson learned!) 

 

  But these illustrations....oh, these I had to share!

  And I did learn one important thing - I need to add John C. Staples to my growing list of artists I'd never heard of but now I love! 

Haliburton First Reader Illustrations, 1912

    

  Okay, I'll admit my fail. I spent way too much a bit of time trying to find the illustrator of these images (I especially love the one above!) but I came up short. I even ran some samples through AI to see if they could figure it out where my research fell short, and I got a different answer every time. Sigh. 

     But we can still enjoy the images without knowing who created them! The one above is an illustration to go with a "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" poem. 

   These are all from "The Haliburton First Reader", written by Margaret Winifred Haliburton, published in Boston in 1912. 

Vintage Seed Catalog Covers Printable

   I'm no expert, but I'm just going to put this out there - vintage seed catalogs are gorgeous! Even if you ignore the flowers completely, they have the most beautiful typography. I'm newly obsessed with them. 

  So I was delighted to find that the Smithsonian has a large collection of these covers, online and ready to view! 

   So I truly enjoyed going through various collections and picking out my favorites to make a couple of printable collage sheets. The first has covers sized to 2.5"x 3.5"; the second sheet has slightly more variable sizes. 

  You can download these from Dropbox (click here or just click on the image above) or head over to Ko-fi. Either way, they're free and made completely with public domain images. I hope you make something fun with them. If there's any issue, let me know - I'm new at this printable business, so I'd truly love to hear how it works out!  

Children sledding in winter, 1912

  Yes, I know...I'm totally in the wrong season. While everyone around me is thinking "spring", I'm sharing this winter illustration. <Shrugs>

  This sweet scene of two children sledding while two adults (parents?) look on was created by Florence Storer for the 1912 book, "Christmas Tales and Christmas Verse", written by Eugene Field.

  I also made a slight alteration, because I just love the black & white look! 

 

Girls Crafting with Dolls Trade Card, circa late 1800s

   New wardrobe time! These girls are busy making new dresses for their dolls. (Except for Kitty, who is determined to swat the fancy hat off one particular doll!)

  Even the toddler is getting in on the fun, with [eek!] a pair of scissors in her little fist. 

 This is a Victorian-era trade card, probably from the late 19th century. I couldn't find out any more about this one, so if you have any tips - or maybe you spot a clue I missed - I'd love to hear it! 

  Regardless, this is an adorable illustration, and I'm so glad I came across it while browsing a scrapbook filled with trade cards online. 

Metropolitan Mother Goose children's book, 1920

 

   These illustrations by Emma Clark are from the children's book, "The Metropolitan Mother Goose", published in 1920.

  This is a whimsically illustrated book, printed by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, with retellings of traditional Mother Goose rhymes by Elizabeth C. Watson. These had a more optimistic tone than the originals. For example, Old Mother Hubbard looked in her cupboard and found "wholesome and good" food for her children, while Jack and Jill went up the hill, but they came down again safely with water for the whole town. (That must have been one heavy bucket!)

   In the top image, the Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe is a doting mother who gives her children plenty of food and a cozy place to sleep. I much prefer this version over the one where she "whips them all soundly" before bedtime! Although the last line here, "The needed no pills, they all slept so sound," does make one do a double-take.

  And two last pages that caught my eye: 

   I definitely need to do a little more searching for Emma Clark's work. I just love her fun illustrations!

Sewing catalogue advertisements_1887

  I can't seem to resist an old sewing magazine or catalog. And sometimes those pages of advertisements are just striking, almost like they're asking to be shared with crafters and ephemera lovers for the present. 

   Or perhaps I just overthink things! 😉

  In any case, I loved these pages from Ingalls' Illustrated Catalogue from Lynn, Massachusetts, published circa 1887.

   The above is the original; the one below is a black-and-white version. (The original color wasn't my favorite, let's just say...)

   These are all in the public domain and ready to be shared and used however you can imagine. Click on the image to get the larger version and you're ready to save!

Children illustrations by Margaret Ely Webb, 1910

   Well, I've found another new-to-me artist I just love. (Hey, you can never have too many favorites, right?)

   The illustrations in this post are from an early reader for children called "A Primer by Bryce and Spaulding" (or, more specifically, by Catherine T. Bryce and Frank E. Spaulding). It was published in 1910. 

   What is frustrating about the illustrations in primers like these - and even those in magazines and sometimes children's books of this period - is that artists were not always credited. At best, we might find a monogram hidden in a corner of a drawing, giving just the slightest hint of who created these works. 

   We got lucky in these ones. "M E W" or, even better, "M. E. Webb" is found in each of these. With a love of research and a bit of time, I learned that the artist was one Margaret Ely Webb. 

   Her work is found in several early readers or primers, children's storybooks, and even magazines, like St. Nicholas.  Several of her works are available to view digitally online. (Check out The Online Books Page for some links to her works. The University of San Diego even has a digital collection of several bookplates she designed! (They're awesome!)

   

   Had you heard of this artist before? If you have a favorite vintage artist, please leave a comment - I'd love to check them out, too!