Three Children Playing Pretend, 1893

   

   These kiddos make me smile. I imagine them playing pretend, newspaper hats in place, the two older kids allowing little sister and her dolly to play along.

   This card has some scratches, but that just adds to the authenticity! This image was called “Keep to the Right” and was used as the cover of a calendar to advertise Scott’s Emulsion in 1893.

   I had to look up what that was. (Just had to!) The National Museum of American History has images of the packaging. 

   It was a tonic with an active ingredient of cod liver oil. (Yum?) It was intended for adults and also could be “given to children to help build resistance to rickets and to aid in growth of bone structure and development of teeth”.

   This one was found at the National Library of Medicine. 

Playful winter illustration, 1886

 There's so much winter fun going on in this illustration! Sledding and snowball throwing and skating (and...oops - falling!). It's especially apt for promoting a business in Buffalo, New York, a place known for it's long winters. 

  This is from a page of a catalog of fall & winter fashions for 1886-1887 from Bronner's Fashionable Clothing House. (I love the name!) 

Vintage French Labels, 1910s-1920s

 

     There is something about French I just love. Perhaps the way it can make the most mundane object sound fancy? Why say strawberries when you can say framboises?! Or house (boring!) when you can say maison!

   But add the French language to a vintage look and I’m hooked. I hope you enjoy these French labels as much as I enjoyed finding them! 

  These are all from the 1910s and 1920s, so they are public domain and free to use, share and craft with. Click on an image to see the original size. 

   Which one is your favorite? These next two are probably mine! 

Two robins on snowy branch, 1898

 

"We can all do some good, if we will." - Dickens

  This lovely illustration is from "Holly Berries from Dickens", a book of quotes from Charles Dickens' books. It was published in 1898, after Dickens' death, by Boston publishers Dewolfe, Fiske & Co. 

  Below is a slightly upscaled version and also a transparent background version. Enjoy playing around with them - all are in the public domain!

Winter Birds Illustration, 1893

 

   I love the serenity this illustration exudes. A chilly winter day, but these small birds have clearly found something yummy to gather around for.

   This scene illustrates the poem “Christmas Morn” in an 1893 book called "Flowers I Bring and Songs I Sing", with works by Edith Bland (later Nesbit), Helen Marion Burnside and Arthur Scanes. I don’t know who the illustrator was, but they really captured a lovely moment.

   To get the full size, just click the image and then save to your computer. Public domain image, so free to use however you please! 

Bird on branch with flowers frame, 1886

  This struck me as such a pretty image but I especially loved the idea of removing the text so fellow crafters could work their magic with it!  

   The original, from “Phillips Brooks’s Poems”, published circa 1886, was too small for my liking, so I played around with it a bit. I’m sharing both my version on the original, above, and a version with the blank frame. 

   These are both free to use however you wish. If you do use it, I would love to hear about it. (Truly, you’d make my day!)  

Victorian Mother & Daughter in Winter Scene, 1893

A sweet illustration by British artist Maude Goodman of a mother and child walking through the snow, bundled up in Victorian outdoor clothing, with the little girl’s attention on a passing bird.

This one was from "Flowers I Bring and Songs I Sing", a book of beautifully illustrated poems for children by Edith Bland (later Nesbit), Helen Marion Burnside and Arthur Scanes. It was published by Raphael Tuck & Sons in 1893. 

This same image, in black & white, was used by Raphael Tuck & Sons for a Christmas card. 

Which version do you prefer? I like them both, but the colored version really resonated with me!

 

Illustrated birds, circa 1880s

   These birds feel so full of personality to me. For example, the little green fella, who seems to be thinking, “Hmm a yummy bug flying my way…don’t mind if I do!” Right before he reaches up and swallows the insect whole!

    Or take the top bird, gazing at a passing butterfly with a charmed expression, as if he’s thinking, well aren’t you lovely!

   And the pink one is my favorite, peeking a glance shyly. (Probably my favorite because I’m so shy myself!)

  I found these cuties in a card album circa 1880s at Digital Commonwealth (one of my favorite places to browse for vintage goodies!      

Victorian toddler girl trade card, 1880s

    There's something magical about watching young children play pretend. Maybe because I loved it so much when I was little (and even long after most kids had moved on...) This Victorian-era toddler, circa 1880s, is looking through pretend binoculars. Are they made from two spools of the thread this image is advertising?

    A larger image of this has been uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, but it was too cute not to share here as well! You can also just click on the image to get the original size. This is in the public domain and free to use however you wish!

Vintage children by Ida Waugh, 1890

 

   I absolutely love this artwork, "Right or left?" by Ida Waugh, and I knew immediately I wanted it to be one of the first I shared here. I love the girls and the carriage and the dolls. I love the sweet, peaceful background. I don’t pretend to know art, but, having been a doll-loving little girl once upon a time, I was totally drawn to this one!

   Printed by Louis Prang & Co., 1890. Click on the image for the full size. Can also be downloaded at a higher resolution at Wikipedia Commons or Artvee.




  

Valentine Joys, circa 1910s

  I guess I’m in a Valentine‘s Day mood because I felt the need to share this Raphael Tuck & Sons postcard. This one is from the Missouri Historical Society (they have a great old postcard collection!) and they estimate it’s circa 1910s-1920s.   

  And because I thought the little girl would look adorable all in her own as well, I played around with a couple of other versions. Click on any of them to enlarge and then save. 

                       

  

Fancy typography ad, circa 1850s

   Ooh, this old ad for J. Hall Rohrman of Philadelphia is gorgeous! He was an ornamental japanner. I had no idea what that was but Merriam-Webster defines it as “a worker who applies coatings of enamel or varnish in making japanned leather or other japanned articles.”

   You don’t need to get it to enjoy the Victorian era typography!

   This was printed circa 1850-1870 and you can see the original at the Library of Congress.
 

   For a larger size file, download here or just click on the image and save! 

Sisters sledding, circa 1910

 A fun winter postcard, possibly circa 1910, of two girls (sisters?) enjoying a sled ride. The vintage-lover in me thinks, "Aww, how sweet! Little sister feels safe in big sister's lap!" And then the maternal side of me rears up with, "That's not safe! She's going to get hurt!" 

  I also made a version with just the sisters on the sled and a transparent background. Click on either image to see the larger version, then right-click and save. 

Mother and baby, 1883

 

Cuddle up closer in your fair white gown,

Mother’ll hold you, darling, while the rain comes down.

   Artist Ida Waugh captures the sweet scene of a mother cuddling a sleeping baby so perfectly here. The baby feels safe, the mother might be almost certainly is exhausted but still enjoys this quiet moment while her baby snuggles close. 

   A beautiful image from Holly Berries, published in 1883, accompanying the poem, A Rainy Day Song. 

   For a larger size of this image, download here or just click on the image and then right-click to save!