pastispresent.org
online forum for early American discovery, discussion, and diversion from the American Antiquarian Society

My Funny Valentine

September 2nd, 2010, by Tracey Kry

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Recent AAS fellow Hugh McIntosh recently spent some time with our Valentines Collection.  This collection includes some of the frilly, lovey-dovey valentines one would expect, but also some unexpected gems!  The comic valentines of the 19th century in particular caught Hugh’s eye, and he shares the following about his look at the 19th century’s sense [...]


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My Hairy Valentine!

February 11th, 2010, by Lauren Hewes

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In 2010, the Graphic Arts department will be evaluating and re-housing its collection of nineteenth-century valentines.  We have over 3,000 of these lacy, be-flowered paper objects and they are being sorted to provide better access for readers.  Due to the high number and complexity of each object (some have moving parts, accompanying envelopes, etc., while [...]


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Now Where Was I, Redux!

January 4th, 2010, by Lauren Hewes

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Last Friday we posted an entry about bookmarks describing the variety of scraps and ephemeral objects used by eighteenth and nineteenth century readers to mark their places in their books. As that blog post was being edited, yet another bookmark was discovered, and a most curious one at that. A small letter was found tucked [...]


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Now Where Was I?

December 31st, 2009, by Lauren Hewes

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If you were lucky enough to be the recipient of multiple books this holiday season, all of which beg to be read immediately, you may be in need of a crucial tool . . . the humble bookmark! At the Antiquarian Society, as books are catalogued they are checked over carefully by our staff and [...]


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Today in the Life of an 1870 Schoolmarm Aptitudes. : September 2. Silas and I went up to see Ada Montague yesterday afternoon.  We all rode down to Mr. Marvin’s, found Alice much better.  Tried to learn me to play croquet but I am not a very apt scholar.  We came back to Mr. Seymour’s to meeting in the eve and then bid Ada goodbye.  [...]