History of Scrapbooking.

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History of Scrapbooking

The history of scrapbooking is very old. Some may even consider it an ancient art form, since one of the oldest handwritten scrapbooks dates back to the ancient Greeks.

Scrapbooking is the creative art form of making, keeping, and storing memories within a book. Paper became more affordable for everyone during the 15th century, and this particular art form became quite popular as a means of preserving precious personal and family memories. Some of the oldest scrapbooking how-to books were published around this same time, which just encouraged the love of scrapbooking even more. These various how-to books were very popular as they often explained the best way to choose and preserve items to include in scrapbooks.

As time progressed the love for keeping memories in a scrapbook increased, and in the early 19th century blank books became available that included title pages featuring frames for holding engravings and etchings. Soon after die-cast images on perforated paper become available. With the invention of photography and the availability to the public, more and more individuals began creating their own scrapbooks.

The history of scrapbooking shows us that many scrapbooks of the day may have included such items as:

Etchings
Post Cards
Engravings
Lithographs
Photographs
Dance Cards
Family Recipes
Paper Cutouts
Greeting Cards
Theater Playbills
Artistic Drawings
Embossed Papers
Poems and Letters
Newspaper Clippings
Printed Advertisements
Victorian Calling Cards
Handmade Tatted Lace
Leftovers of Scrap Paper
Children’s School Awards
Hair Weavings and Hair Art
Opera and Theater Tickets
Buttons, Bows, and Ribbons
Miscellaneous Memorabilia
Homemade Potato Stamps
Decorative Cupboard Liners
Miscellaneous Printed Quotes
Decorative Wallpaper Scraps
Personal Handwritten Messages
Real Pressed Flowers and Leaves

Of course, our history of scrapbooking wouldn't be complete without mentioning some of the famous historical scrapbooking enthusiasts who kept scrapbooks:

Queen Victoria, who kept a scrapbook on display at the Royal Palace
Thomas Jefferson, who kept various newspaper clippings for future reference during his presidency
Mark Twain, who worked faithfully on his 300 scrapbooking projects on Sundays, filling them with souvenirs, pictures, and articles. In fact, growing tired of losing his glue and the hard paste that was available, in 1872 he patented his "self-pasting" scrapbook which had thin strips of glue already on the pages!

Scrapbooking Your History Through Heritage Scrapbooks

During the 1940s photo albums became very popular and scrapbooking began to wane in popularity. During the 1970s, with the increasing interest in studying genealogy, scrapbooking our history became more important for many families and took off in popularity. Creating Family Albums or Heritage Scrapbooks became a favorite pastime of many, and more and more people are beginning to realize the importance of preserving the history of their families.

Many items that may be included in scrapbooks today are similar to those that were used long ago for embellishing a scrapbook, and many current designs and elements can even give your albums the appearance of being vintage scrapbooks.

In addition to items included in scrapbooks of the past, the albums of today might also include:

Stickers
Clipart
Acid-free paper
Textured and Colorful Rubber Stamping
Audio
Other Decorative Embellishments

Keeping Memories Alive

As you can see, scrapbooking is a delightful activity or hobby that many individuals have enjoyed from the time of the ancients until today. In these modern times we have access to a variety of scrapbooking items and tools, including using scrapbooking computer software for digital scrapbooking!

One thing is certain, no matter how old the art form of scrapbooking may be, it is still a well-loved activity and one that will continue and evolve for generations.

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