Tag: paper

Comic Valentine, sent from Charles Colton to James Butler

Courtesy of the American Antiquarian Society.

Featuring hand-colored woodcut and lithograph caricatures of familiar social types, from raunchy spinsters to clumsy bachelors, mid-nineteenth century comic valentines encouraged buyers to observe the holiday through mischief.

Creators: Turner & Fisher Valentine Publishers (printer), Charles Colton (author)

Date of Creation: Dated February 12, 1847 (f1 r.); Written Feb. 20 (f1 v.); Sent Feb. 25 (f2 v.).

Place of origin: Printed in New York City; Sent from Charlestown, MA, to Enosburgh Falls, VT

Physical measurements: 2 leaves

Materials: Lettersheet, ink, watercolor paint, trace of wax seal

Process by which it was made: Handwritten letter; illustration made via wood-engraving, hand-colored with a stencil

Current location: American Antiquarian Society

converted PNM file

Information contributed by Don James McLaughlin.

Pasquinade

Courtesy of the Archivo General de Indias (Seville).

A satirical text criticizing the Spanish-American Black Code of 1789.

Creators: Anonymous

Date of Creation: May 1790

Place of origin: Caracas, Venezuela

Physical measurements: Approximately 24 cm. x 18 cm.

Materials: Paper, ink, and pencil

Process by which it was made: Writing and illustration

Current location: Archivo General de Indias (Seville).

Information contributed by Cristina Soriano.

Kykunkor Souvenir Program Booklet

Courtesy of the New York Public Library/Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

A booklet from a 1934 musical drama by the Sierra Leonean composer Asadata Dafora.

Creators: Martha Drieblatt

Date of Creation: ca. 1935

Place of origin: New York, New York

Physical measurements: 31 x 23 centimeters, 16 pages

Materials: Paper

Process by which it was made: Printed by Cooper & Aronson

Current location: New York Public Library/Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Further Reading

Heard, Marcia Ethel. “Asadata Dafora: African Concert Dance Traditions in American Concert Dance.” Doctoral dissertation, New York University, 1999.  

New York Public Library. Asadata Dafora Papers Finding Aid.  <http://archives.nypl.org/scm/20812.> Accessed July 12, 2019.

Martin, John. “The Dance: A Revival, ‘Kykunkor’ is Restored to Its Original Form and Excellence – Week’s Programs.” The New York Times, January 13, X, 8, 1935.

Perpener III, John O. “Asadata Dafora,” <https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/themes-essays/african-diaspora/asadata-dafora/.>

Stiehl, Pamyla A. “The Curious Case of Kykunkor: A Dansical/Musical Exploration and Reclamation of Asadata Dafora’s Kykunkor, or the Witch Woman (1934).” Studies in Musical Theatre, 3(2):143-156, 2009.

Information contributed by Amimbola Cole Kai-Lewis.

Afong Moy: “For One Week Only”

Courtesy, American Antiquarian Society

A broadside advertising Afong Moy, the first Chinese immigrant to the United States.

Creator: Unknown

Date of Creation: ca. 1842

Place of origin: New Orleans

Physical measurements: 36 x 13 cm.

Materials: Paper

Process by which it was made: Print

Current location: American Antiquarian Society

Further Reading

Cheng, Anne Anlin. Ornamentalism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019.

Davis, Nancy E. The Chinese Lady: Afong Moy in Early America. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019.

Haddad, John. The Romance of China: Excursions to China in U.S. Culture, 1776-1876. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008.

Muñoz, José Esteban. “Ephemera as Evidence: Introductory Notes to Queer Acts.” Women and Performance 8, no. 2 (1996): 5–16. doi:10.1080/07407709608571228.

Zhang, Tao. “The Start of American Accommodation of the Chinese: Afong Moy’s Experience from 1834 to 1850.” Journal of American Studies 49, no. 03 (2015): 475–503. doi:10.1017/S0021875814001819.

Information contributed by Christine Yao.