Vintage scrapbooks inspire wonder and creativity with a magical glimpse into past lives.
Hello, I’m Mandy, creator of Paper of the Past. I collect scrapbooks made by other people between 1840 and 1940 and share their stories online.
I found my first vintage scrapbook at an antique shop in 2007 and now live in a mini-archive of over 500 scrapbooks.
Like a treasure-filled attic without the dust, Paper of the Past celebrates:
- whimsical insight into the lives, thoughts, and memories of everyday people from the past
- creative work spanning 180+ years
- the joy and inspiration found in beautiful books
Vintage scrapbooks are time capsules in book form. See more by joining my email list here and following Paper of the Past on Instagram here.
Still reading?
Five random facts about me:
- I’m a 36-year-old college lecturer
- I live in Santa Rosa, CA. I once lived in a historic hotel in Kansas City, MO (it had a marble staircase). Prior to that, I lived in a 110-year-old, restored townhome in Muncie, IN (it had original pocket doors 🙌🏻).
- I started my first scrapbook in 2020 (inspired by all the books I share)
- I once visited Luxembourg City, Luxembourg after finding a collection of 1940s letters from there that were lovingly preserved in an American scrapbook.
- As a child, I dreamed of finding a long-lost time capsule. I imagined finding one under the floorboards (or in the wall) of an abandoned Victorian home. Discovering a cool scrapbook has to be the next best thing.
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