University Library
Sources of Inquiry
University Library
Sources of Inquiry
Ephemera is a broad term used to describe items that are essentially by-products of daily life, created for a specific but temporary purpose. They can provide a sense of what life was like in the past, and shed light on the people, places, events, and ideas that have shaped our history and culture. The study of ephemera may enhance our understanding of other materials in collections, and reveal details about the experiences of individuals and groups.
In the case are a wide variety of items we consider ephemera. The "La Fiesta de Los Angeles Official Program Booklet" is a souvenir for an event organized by local businessmen and boosters to bring tourism to Los Angeles after the devastating economic depression of 1893. Two greeting cards from the 19th century are notable for their intricate design and sentimental messages, contrasted with the stoicism and emotional reticence that is the hallmark of the Victorian and Edwardian periods.
The brochure titled "Some Ways of Distinguishing a Good Nursery School" reflects the concerns of many American families during World War II when millions of women with children entered the workforce to support the war effort. Another brochure, "Practices for Longshoremen, Southern California Area," demonstrates the role of powerful labor unions in the American workplace in the 1950s. Items such as dance cards, hotel brochures, ticket stubs, and signs can reveal details about the ways in which the increasingly mechanized environment of the early and mid-20th century shaped the ways in which people spent their leisure time.
Case 13, Photographs, is located to the right.
1
Civic Health, May 1928Los Angeles Department of Health Bulletin Collection
2
Victorian Pop-up and Double-Gate greeting cards, circa 1900Victorian and Edwardian Greeting Card Collection
3
Mt. Wilson Hotel brochureCalifornia Tourism and Promotional Literature Collection
4
Business Card, Major George Williams Carrington, Jr., circa 1950sColonel George W. Carrington Collection
5
"Some Ways of Distinguishing a Good Nursery School," 1942Southern California Association for the Education of Young Children Collection
6
Press Cafe Menu, circa 1946Charles McHaney China Marines Photograph Collection
7
Business card, Paul H. Gore-Booth, circa 1950sCarl S. Dentzel Collection
8
"Basic Work Practices for Longshoremen, Southern California Area," 1958International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union (ILWU), Local 13 Records, Part 3
9
"La Fiesta de Los Angeles Official Program Booklet," 1897California Tourism and Promotional Literature Collection
10
Card for Ira G. Hoag welcoming President Theodore Roosevelt, 1903California Tourism and Promotional Literature Collection
11
Trade cards for Heinz and Peek, Frean & Co., circa 1900Victorian Trade Card Collection
12
Dance cards, 1934Young Women's Christian Association of Los Angeles Collection
13
Business Card, William. J. Sell, Booksellers, Stationers, & NewsdealersJohn M. Sell Civil War Collection
14
Postcard and ticket for the Angels Flight funicular, circa 1900 and circa 1930California Tourism and Promotional Literature Collection
15
"Hear Dr. Joe Jeffers, Preview for 1941, Shrine-Sun. Dec. 15" sign, 1940Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles, Community Relations Committee Collection, Part 2
16
Confederate States of America Bonds, May 1, 1861Confederate States of America Bond
17
Pacific Electric Railway Sign, circa 1914California Tourism and Promotional Literature Collection
