Embossed marks on manuscripts

Brittany Webster <brit.webster<-a t->gmail< . >com> writes

>Has anyone come across examples of blind embosses or blind stamps? I
>have noted three different types on a manuscript I am investigating
>and would like to know more about them and their source. ...

I have seen many of these in my years of working with manuscript
correspondence.  I've often thought it would be an enjoyable and
fascinating project to collect images of these and make some sense
of the varied images and text often present in the embossings, and
what they reflect of the culture of the time.  From my experience,
the peak period of marks appearing on stationery, at least in
American correspondence, is roughly 1850-1870.  Marks range from
Victorian sentiments (Love, Grace, Hope) to patriotic images (US
Flag, US Capitol Building, US White House), to monograms and
initials, and even some less able to be categorized:  Cupids, Stags,
flowers, etc.  Of course, paper mills likely embossed their
stationery from time to time.

I have no researched knowledge, but it has been my assumption that
one could either purchase stationery with marks already embossed, or
alternately select any number of dies and an embossing crimper to
leave the mark at will.

If you'd like to contact me directly, I have photographed many I've
come across, including a Bath mark and would be happy to share
images.

Doug Sanders
Paper Conservator
IU Bloomington Library Preservation


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 28:27
                 Distributed: Friday, December 5, 2014
                       Message Id: cdl-28-27-002
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