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The definition of Ephemera comes to us from the Greek ‘epi’ (about) and ‘hemeris’ (day).
Ephemera is pronounced “efem’mera”
The comtempory definition of ephemera is, “something short lived or transitory” especially all types of paper documents both printed or handwritten produced for a specific
purpose and normally intended for disposal.
Examples include advertising trade cards similar to the Warner’s Yeast card above which relates to Haley’s Comet. Other examples would include auction broadsides,
posters, greeting cards, Rewards of Merit, tickets, invitations, Sheet Music, Candy Boxes, illustrated letter or billheads, The list goes on & on and is endless due to the history of printed and manuscript
commercial or entertainment documents.
Durable Ephemera are those Advertising Signs, Souveniers and Tin or Wooden Advertising Boxes, ect.
Paper Ephemera has been well documented in John Lewis’s
1962 book, “Printed Ephemera”, (the 20th century Bible of Ephemera) where John documents Ephemera from as early as the 16th century to present times.
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