Basic Scrapbooking 101

A Little History

When did Scrapbooking start?

As I mentioned before, my mom and even my grandmother made a scrapbook. But, did you know scrapbooking began several hundred years ago? What?

People used diaries, journals, and handmade albums to record thoughts, recipes, poetry and quotes. The earliest surviving book dates from the seventeenth century in Germany.

Leonardo da Vinci kept scrapbooks of drawings, ideas and text.

Common-place books appear as early as the 1590s. They were used for collections of diaries, drawings and clippings. Shakespeare's Hamlet mentions the recording of notes in a commonplace book.

By 1825, the term "scrapbook" was in use and a magazine devoted to the hobby, The Scrapbook, was in circulation.

In the late nineteenth century, scrapbooks were becoming popular, even in magazines. They included mementos, locks of hair, pressed newspaper clippings, (which is what my grandma put in hers), pressed flowers, calling cards, letters, and ribbons. Pictures were etched or engraved onto the pages.

During the Victorian era, even more embellishments were added, such as ornamental vignettes and cut-outs. Die-cuts (pre-cut paper shapes) and stamps were introduced in the 1870s and you could purchase these items from companies that manufactured these items exclusively for scrapbooks.

In the late nineteenth century, cameras were invented which became more affordable and so photos began appearing in the albums.

During the 1880s, an increased focus on genealogy gave scrapbooking another new direction.

Today, scrapbooks vary greatly from those of the 1500s. The manner in which they are presented and preserved has evolved, reflecting the knowledge of preservation and archival techniques.

However, one common thread connects the past to the present- scrapbooks have always told a story.