The art on these posters is something to behold – even though the messages were meant for specific dates and times, the artists out-did themselves. Something that is printed with a date is considered to be ephemeral – meant for a specific time and disposable when that time is past. These posters fall in to that category, but possibly because of their superb execution were saved from destruction. https://theawesomer.com/art-poster-1880-1918/437013/?utm_source=Awesomer+-+Newsletter+Subscribers&utm_campaign=85b98974e2-The_Awesomer_Daily_RSS_Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_62b3278294-85b98974e2-72861817&mc_cid=85b98974e2&mc_eid=6b681a1148 If you have valuable prints or posters – they should be stored in sleeves and boxes that are of archival quality. We have polyester sleeves and acid-free boxes in many sizes. Follow links to view. https://www.bagsunlimited.com/category/214/mylar-polyester-sleeves   … Continue reading Lithography gave birth to the mass-production of posters in the late 19th century.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2017/07/16/history-space-ephemera-link-past/103716676/ Not only do we sell your typical ephemera collection protection supplies – we have supplies for not so popular ephemera – fruit crate labels, folded maps, stock certificates and much more. Click here Continue reading Whenever I say the word “ephemera” which being in the business of protecting ephemera I probably say it a lot more than most people – people almost always say – “What’s that?”. Here’s a great article that defines it and then expounds on the reason people collect it.

  “Pioneer Era” postcards were from 1893-1898. They were all government postcards. They had no pictures printed on them. If they had pictures on them, they were hand illustrated, not commercially printed.   “Private Mailing Card” era was from 1898-1901. The government gave private printers permission to print and sell postcards with the inscription “Private Mailing Card” (PMC).   Postcard “Undivided Back” era was from 1901-1907. These cards were not allowed to have a divided back. All correspondence had to be written on the front of the card.   “Divided Back” postcard era was from 1907-1914. The left side of the card was used for messages, … Continue reading Postcard Eras – Examples and simple descriptions.

Acid in paper is one of the chief culprits of paper destruction. The Library of Congress in the mid-1900’s decided to initiate a mass deacidification project. They wanted a product that would neutralize acidic paper and add an alkaline reserve. The end result should give the paper a pH value between 6.8 and 10.4 and that it be evenly distributed throughout the book. The product should not cause damage to adhesives, inks, dyes or paper pliancy. The chemical had to be safe to use and be able to be used on any kind of paper. These seem like tall orders but several companies were able to … Continue reading What does it mean to deacidfy paper?