I enjoy writing my family history and illustrating certain parts of it with images and where I am able to, with ephemera because it adds interest for my children. For example, when they read a story that I wrote about my childhood and drinking Leed Lemonade as a treat, they have no idea what Leed Lemonade is. Yet those in my generation who remember Leed Lemonade, would know what the bottle looks like and any advertising material. When I added an advertising sticker & image of a bottle I had collected to the story, my children said, "Is that what it looked like?"
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| Leed Lemonade Bottle Photograph by Ani Sharland |
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| A collection of cards that celebrate past events Photograph by Ani Sharland |
Ephemera such as letters can also give details about a person that will confirm a date, place or event in that persons life. For example, my children have often asked about what I did as a young adult. Personal letters help to illustrate where I lived, who my friends were, where I worked and what I got up to. Letters also show the part that family played at certain stages of a person's life.
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| A collection of cards and letters Photograph by Ani Sharland |
Keeping ephemera does have it's challenges. Preservation and storage are just a couple of the issues that need to be considered when organising and storing ephemera. There are many ways to store ephemera where they will last longer and minimise any damage. First, I attach my ephemera for my family history with the story of a certain person. Some material such as letters and cards I put in envelopes and keep in a box with a journal or diary.
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| Box with diary and envelopes full of ephemera Photograph by Ani Sharland |
I will put smaller pieces of ephemera such as tickets, advertising stickers, receipts, brochures in custom-made pockets inside journals, diaries or scrapbooks.
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An example of a scrapbook with pockets
Photograph by Ani Sharland
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There are factors that contribute to paper based material deteriorating.
Some of these factors include:
- glue which turns brittle and
yellows
- sellotape which turns
brittle and yellows
- the quality of the paper
that the material was printed on
- the oils on your skin
There are other formats that you can keep ephemera in that will last for
longer. You can scan an item and create a digital file of it which will keep
longer than in it's hard copy format. If you are more comfortable looking for
and keeping information digitally, then maybe storing your digital files in an
online space is an option.
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| From a diary with a pocket full of ephemera at the back Photograph by Ani Sharland |
There is a process of sorts that I follow when adding ephemera to a story. I start with a memory, then write the story and finally, add ephemera (from a single item to many items). Before starting I gather what ephemera I have on a person, and the amount of ephemera that I have gathered will determine the size of the container I store it in.
Written by Ani Sharland
