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!