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85 Fascinating Pieces Of Ephemera That Show How Much The Past Has Changed
We are extremely sentimental, and we are definitely not alone. Many of us hoard all sorts of odds and ends at home and at work because they evoke feelings of nostalgia and remind us of the good old days. These vintage things are often laced with bittersweet memories.
‘Ephemera’ is a fascinating online group that features photos of old-timey written and printed things that were never meant to be kept or saved. We have curated this list of their most interesting images to take you back in time and give you a unique glimpse into the past.
Ready for some time travel? We know we are!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
My Grandma Kept Track Of All The Boys She Dated In 1940 And Wrote "My Darling Little Soldier" As Her First Impression Of The Man She Would End Up Marrying
They were married after WWII (my grandpa was a Jewish American POW in Germany) until he passed at age 96 in 2016.
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There is a subtle but important line between sentimentality on one side and hoarding on the other. The former is healthy, grounded, and puts you in control. The latter is unhealthy, a sign of deeper emotional or mental issues, and places you in the role of the victim of your impulses.
Individuals with hoarding disorder have difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, no matter their (lack of) value.
The International OCD Foundation reports that between 2% to 6% of the world’s population suffers from hoarding disorder.
Hoarding disorder tends to affect men and women at similar rates. It is a universal phenomenon across different countries, cultures, and backgrounds around the world.
#4
I Was 8 Years Old When I Wrote An Anti-Whaling Letter To President Jimmy Carter. This Was The Reply
#5
I Found A School Atlas From 1854, And It Had Some Drawings Made By Schoolchildren Over 150 Years Ago
Symptoms begin appearing early on in life, between the ages of 11 and 15, and can start interfering with your everyday functioning by your mid-20s. By your mid-30s, your hoarding disorder can lead to clinically significant impairment and is likely to meet the criteria for a full diagnosis.
That being said, hoarding symptoms are thrice as common in older adults, aged 55+, than younger adults.
#7
The Contents Of My Great-Grandmother's Purse
Helping my parents clean out some things, and came across this purse that was in the back of a closet. It belonged to my great-grandmother, who passed away at the age of 92 in the early 70s. Best I can tell, it still had all the contents of what she had been carrying around prior to going into the nursing home in the late 60s. Contents include pantyhose, powder puffs, skeleton keys, an old toothbrush, farmers pocket ledger and workmen's time book, as well as several post cards and info on family genealogy. Just thought it was a neat time capsule of daily life that wasn't intended to be kept for 60 years. (I blurred parts that contained names and addresses).
#8
1945 Postcard The Sweater Girls
Salty-Yak-2505:
The term “sweater girl” was originally from a publicity campaign used to describe a young Lana Turner in the late 1930s—the studio released a (somewhat dubious) story that the then teenage Lana was spotted on the street in a “sweater” and an entire movie scene was written to recreate this alleged event.
Afterward, it became a term used to describe young, voluptuous ingenues (similar to the term “bombshell” which was originally coined for Jean Harlow, and then became ubiquitous with busty blondes in the industry till this day).
The vast majority (75%) of individuals with this disorder also have a co-occurring mental health condition, such as major depressive disorder, social anxiety disorder, social phobia, and generalized anxiety disorder.
Roughly 20% of people who have a hoarding disorder also have obsessive-compulsive disorder.
#10
This Is One Of My Favourite Pieces Of Ephemera
“I’m tough guy,sock him in the eye,I run away with his porkpie” 1946. What a character.
#12
My Mom’s Receipt From When She Was Born
It’s amazing how much hospital costs have changed since 1954.
Gregory L. Jantz, Ph.D., who authored The Anxiety Reset: A Life-Changing Approach to Overcoming Fear, Stress, Worry, Panic Attacks, OCD and More, explains that around one in four people with OCD are also compulsive hoarders.
Hoarding is often accompanied by varying levels of anxiety and depression, and creates “clinically significant distress or impairment in functioning.” One of the consequences is that you are no longer able to maintain a safe space.
“Their compulsion causes the hoarders' mental, emotional, physical, and financial health to suffer. Most tragically, their relationships unravel as families and friends struggle to cope with their condition,” writes Jantz.
“Neuroimaging studies have revealed peculiar commonalities among hoarders including severe emotional attachment to inanimate objects and extreme anxiety when making decisions.”
#14
My Grandpappy’s Last Driver’s License: Born In ‘89…that’s *1889*
This is my grandfather Luther W. Carter’s actual driver’s license, which expired in 1975, just one year before he passed away—This license was issued when he he was about 85 years old. His birthdate? 7-13-89 (no need for four digit year dates, yet!). No picture needed, and no restrictions despite his age!
He only completed the 4th grade and remained illiterate his entire life. The signature on the back isn’t his—it’s my granny’s. She had to sign his name for him because he couldn’t write it himself.
Despite his age, he still drove a truck and worked on the farm. I remember sitting with him on the porch as a kid in 1969, shortly after the Apollo moon landing. He looked up at the full moon and told me, “See how bright it is? It’s like the sun. No way a man could walk on that. They’d burn up.”
He truly believed the moon was a ball of fire—he never learned otherwise.
This little plastic card feels like a time machine. He was born just 24 years after the Civil War ended and lived to see color television…
#15
Found In A Jar Of Receipts Of Bills & Receipts
Bought a large cookie jar for $5 at an estate sale crammed with every kind of receipt and bill. Lid was taped on but I could see one little part that said "ticketmaster" and rolled the dice. Very happy.
The paradox is that hoarding has a bizarre relationship with anxiety: it both relieves and generates it.
“The more hoarders accumulate, the more insulated they feel from the world and its dangers. But of course, the more they accumulate, the more isolated they become from the outside world, including family and friends. Even the thought of discarding or cleaning out hoarded items produces extreme feelings of panic and discomfort,” Jantz warns.
“It can be difficult to determine whether someone is a hoarder or just a pack rat, someone who just likes to hang on to things. The main determinant of whether a behavior is just a personal preference or a disorder usually has to do with whether, and how much, that behavior has begun to negatively impact daily functioning.”
Hoarding disorder may arise from traumatic events, persistent difficulty making decisions, and having family members who are hoarders. What’s more, hoarders tend to be socially withdrawn or isolated. They may start hoarding as a way to find comfort.
#19
My Dad Traveled The World With A Millionaire Named Minford Bond In 1965. Here Is Part Of His Bill From A Hotel In Rome. The Man Was Consistently Spending Todays Equivalent Of $2,100 At The “Cantina”
Ace 28 minutes ago
Headline doesn't make sense. the big expenses are for the room and for telephone calls, around US$150 per night for the room and the same for the phone calls on one day. The numbers in the 'Saldo' column are a running total, indicating that he'd probably been there for a week or two by this point. (note the total reduces when a payment was made).
The ‘Ephemera’ community has been intriguing, entertaining, and providing nostalgia trips for everyone online for nearly a decade and a half. It was initially created in mid-2012 as a way for internet users to feature written, printed, and other recorded matter that was never intended to be kept or saved.
The friendly team of moderators who run the group invites everyone to share their “advertising trade cards, airsickness bags, matchbooks, postcards, ticket stubs, old certificates—anything someone else might find interesting, enjoyable, or discussion worthy.”
The goal is to show off “interesting bits of historical detritus.”
#24
Burned Book Page Found In My Yard After Los Angeles Fires
I had to evacuate my home on Wednesday due to the massive fires happening in Los Angeles. I returned today and found my home intact, but all kinds of soot, ash, burned leaves, tree branches, etc. littered around my house. I found this piece of a book page though, and I thought it was kind of beautiful and extraordinarily sad. I got incredibly lucky that myself, my boyfriend, and our dog got out unscathed, as well as our home. This burned page undoubtedly traveled to my yard, from the home of someone who lost everything in the fires.
According to the mods of ‘Ephemera,’ items should have writing on them, be printed, but they do not have to be paper.
“The item must have been created for a TEMPORARY purpose, with the express or implied understanding that it would serve no practical future use.”
What this means, in practice, is that most books, some souvenirs, and special commemorative items do NOT count as ephemera.
#27
Bookmark Found In A 1951 Book
After you’ve enjoyed these images and upvoted your favorite ones, we’d love to hear from you! Share your perspective, stories, and photos in the comments at the very bottom of this list.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how sentimental would you say you are? Do you save and keep lots of ephemeral things?
What are the most sentimental items that you have that you could never part with?
Where do you personally think the line between sentimentality and hoarding lies? Let us know.
#31
Kind Of Gross, Kind Of Cool. Objects Found Stuck Behind A Built-In Cabinet In The Bathroom Of My 1910 Apartment
#32
Sifting Through Some Items And Found A Photo Of Pirates
#33
I Found Some Old Medical Equipment In The Trash, And Inside The Box Was Apparently The Pen Used To Sign The Mental Health Act Of 1966. I Found A Photo Of The Event And It’s Definitely The One. What A Strange Thing To Come Across
#37
Protest Flyer From The Disastrous 1966 Beatles Concert In Manila. They Never Returned Afterwards
#45
A Box Of Photos From A Long Gone Firefighter. 1970’s Aftermath Of The House Fire Of A Doll Collector
#46
How Do We Feel About Making Art From Ephemera? Cool Or Sin?
I made this button pin from an ad I found in an old almanac from 1910 that was falling apart in a thrift store. I just thought this little bull was so cute and wanted to be able to appreciate him better and keep him from being damaged like the rest of the book already was.
#53
I Volunteer At A Used Book Store. I’ve Been Collecting The Bookmarks We Find In Donations For Months And Finally Got Around To Making This Display
#56
I Bought A 1980s Yves Saint Laurent Exhibition Catalog At The Strand Bookstore, And While Leafing Through It I Discovered A Piece Of Diana Vreeland's Personal Stationery. She Co-Authored The Catalog, So Maybe It Was Her Copy At One Point
#58
Going Through My Old Photos. Found This One In A Junk Shop In Brooklyn. A WWII Nurse, And It’s So Worn That The Paper Is Soft. I Can Only Imagine The Story Behind It
#62
Roy Teleh, "The Greatest Detective" The Complete 1910 Detective Series Written By A French Child, Secret Codes And Hypnotism Included
#63
This Was In My Great Aunts Stuff. She Was Born In 1891. The Letterhead Says A Lot For The Times
#73
Found In A Wedding Guest Book At An Antique Store. I’ve Laughed About This For So Long
So funny that someone copied someone else’s exact note and signed their own name on it.
#77
From My Grandma’s High School Scrapbook: She Was Born In 1915 And Went To Lindblom High School In Chicago. Her Calling Card Is At The Bottom
#78
Found This Receipt In A Book At My Local Community College Today
#80
From Under The Floorboards Of A House I Used To Rent
Bennington Vermont, the house was built in the early 1800s, this was in the back of a closet under the floorboards, I happened to see it under there when I dropped something. I've never been entirely sure if it's real or a game piece.
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