These weren't made with a dull tool or a dim bulb. Often sold by traveling salesmen for a dollar a bundle, these engraved paper tokens were given as polite gestures, presented for thanks and left in a small tray near the doorway for visitors. I've touched on calligraphy in an earlier post, it was a skill which used to be taught to children in school. These are all printed examples, but hand drawn ones are only a little harder to find, they are often glued in scrapbooks or at the bottom of a box of paper objects. Each is smaller than a credit card. Assorted Calling Cards and Tokens of Affection. C. 1860-1890. Collection Jim Linderman
Am trying to read Portrait of a Lady, which puts me immediately to sleep for some reason, but the last thing I read was about a character who took great pleasure in how many of these she collected on her foyer tray.
ReplyDeleteThat's great. I someone ever decides to write an article about them, they've got some literary atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteThese are really lovely! They remind me of a metal stamp I have that has movable type. It belonged to my great-great grandfather who was a farmer in Pennsylvania. After my grandparents died I found this old tin with the type in it and the stamp in my grandfather's belongings. It reminds me a lot of the last couple of cards you've shown. I need to dig it out and find a stamp pad. I was recently looking through an old ledger from the 1860s or 70s in which the stamp had been used on the inside cover several times as if he had been testing it.
ReplyDeletei desire a return of affection....don't we all? delightful, truly.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to follow and comment, much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThese are all so beautiful. Very vintage!
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