The History of Scrapping

For many years now, scrap booking has had many enthusiasts, from Mark Twain to President Thomas Jefferson.

This craft craze involves talent putting together printed relics – from photos, articles from newspapers, stamps, business cards, precious receipts, favorite movie tickets, meaningful postcards, memorable dried flowers, wrappers from our favorite candy. As long as the item represents a memorable occasion in a person’s life scrappers find a way to create a memorable representation of that time.

Scrap booking followers all over the world have grown beyond what we expected over the years.  These people are referred to as scrapbookers,  and they often hold gatherings to share ideas about cropping photos and emproving their craft.

With the popularity growing companies began to notice the opportunity to offer a line of scrap booking products. The whole idea in scrap booking is to create decorated, colorful and personalized scrapbooks to arrange the photos and other memorabilia. Companies came up with many different products specifically used for scrap booking purposes.

Many embellishments have been sold, such as stickers, colored and patterned paper, lettering stick-ons and templates, and a host of other things to personalize scrap booking. The scrapper can even purchase software that
offers a digital experience.

The History of Scrap booking

Here is a brief run-through on the history of scrap booking:

1598 –

The very earliest form of scrap booking that we know of started out from as early as the time of Aristotle, during this time men kept records of religious and political discussions. During these times, public notices were also
recorded on white tablets.

1769 –

William Granger documented England’s history. This included drawings aside from the text itself, he also created blank pages where readers could add their own comments or illustrations.

1800’s –

President Thomas Jefferson saved newspaper clippings during his term in the White House and organized them into albums. People in this time also saved articles from newspapers, drawings and other memorabilia and gathered them into book-like materials.

During this period, albums were also more sophisticated designs, with locks and covers which have an embossed design or lettering. Personal journals and friendship albums were also made.

1826 –

John Poole published “Manuscript Gleanings and Literary Scrapbook”. This publication featured how-to instructions for displaying personal items such as poems, diary entries, and other “scrap”. Scrapbook is a word which came from the cut pieces of decorative paper which were pasted into albums.

During the late 1800’s, Mark Twain became a scrap booking enthusiast by creating his own personal albums which he later sold for almost $50,000.

1839 –

The daguerreotype was invented and was introduced to the public by Louis-Jacques Daguerre. This opened the way toward the invention of photography – which would further enhance the
art of scrap booking.

1888 –

George Eastman retailed the first ever Kodak camera and rolled film for photographs. This momentous event later on changed the way that people “recorded” events about
their lives. What better way to capture a momentous time in our lives as with a photograph.