Monday, April 16, 2012

The artful calling card


This stunning salesman's sample booklet was part of a new trove of Victorian treasures sent to me by my friend Shirley Tenhover, who I've mentioned before. She's an inveterate collector of all kinds of cool stuff - heavy on Victoriana - and is sifting through it all now.

As she jettisons some of it, she's been generous in sending bits along to me. And, boy, am I grateful. Not only because it provides paper for my collages but because it also opens my eyes to materials I've never seen before. Like this folding sampler. Isn't it a beaut?

It's amazing that it's intact given how thin the paper is. And look at those cards - they're in mint condition with glossy finishes and vibrant colors on the scraps and crisp edges on the cards. On this style, the name is printed below the scrap, which is flipped open for the reveal.

The back of the sampler is just as fascinating as the front even though it's not in color. As always, I'm on the fence about the future of the sampler - use it or frame it?



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