A Brief History of Scrapbooking
By Wendy | May 7, 2008
Scrapbooking has been around since ancient times. The first examples of scrapbook keeping were identified from Ancient Greece, and called hypomnemata. It was a small form of a notebook to record what one had experienced or heard for posterity. Of course, the writers had to do it themselves or hire a scribe to do so. Now, with the abundant of writing materials and skills, it is easy to keep up with journaling.
During the Renaissance, scholars and philosophers used what were called “Commonplace Books†to jot down their thoughts and ideas in. They would record conversations, jokes, ideas, poetry and anything else they wished to preserve and remember at a later time. Even young women used Commonplace Books to keep devotional phrases or musings of their day. The modern scrapbook keeper is doing the same thing only with more sophisticated methods and materials that are now available.
People of all ages and economic means practiced scrapbooking in the US. Thomas Jefferson along with Mark Twain, were great record keepers in their time. Jefferson even preserved drawings and sketches of new ideas and projects for construction, along with news clippings and dried leaves. Twain would spend Sundays working on his books and then sold them through Montgomery Ward.
By the 19th century, most people had a special book. It might have contained baseball cards for young men and flower printed paper and cards with hand written endearments on them kept by the young ladies. Brightly colored papers that could be easily torn apart, thereby the name “scrapsâ€. Victorian ladies used these scrap pieces in their books for decorations, thereby deriving the name scrapbooks.
In the 1970’s, Alex Haley wrote a book called “Rootsâ€. This book became a miniseries soon after and prompted a renewed interest in genealogy. What better way to preserve one’s heritage than by a new way of scrapbooking?
Scrapbooking has now evolved to a multi-billion dollar business in the US. Many companies have a full range of materials available: albums, paper, markers, stickers and adhesives. These companies include Creative Memories, Cricut, Quikutz, Sizzix and Stampin’ Up.
Scrapbooking has become hugely popular in recent years and has become a multi million-dollar business. There are so many choices for the “scrapper†to enhance their pages. Papers come in printed and plain versions. Die cut figures and stickers are also available. Other embellishments include lace, ribbons, fabrics and buttons. Locks of hair have been saved, highlighting a baby’s progression into childhood. Concert tickets and birthday cards are popular entries into scrapbooks. People get together in groups at churches, conference halls, and retreats and even cruise ships. A strong, social community has grown around scrapbooking that transcends generations.
Mothers and daughters are frequently seen scrapping together.
Dates, events, people and important times of your life can all be chronicled easily with all the materials available to the modern scrapper. Scrapbooking isn’t new and it isn’t hard. With a little organization, a lifetime can be preserved for your future generations. Doesn’t that make it all worth it?
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