In the days before television became a staple in every American living room, the opportunity to ogle over stars was restricted to print journalism. Keeping star scrapbooks offered the chance to collect pictures and revel in the minutiae of a famous person's civilian life, creating a kind of vicarious thrill for star-obsessed viewers. Scrapbooks featuring moviestars were popular during the 1920s and 30s, often made from the simplest materials: in this example, a two-ring notebook holds lined paper which enabled the owner to introduce her own captions, of varied length, depending on the level of interest.

At the other end of the production spectrum were star scrapbooks that were produced by manufacturers, often as premiums, to encourage collecting and sell products — in this case, ice cream. My Scrapbook of Stars, which was released in numerous editions during the 1930s, wasissued as a cover for the premium photos of movie stars that you could get from sending in the lids from Dixie Cups. Instructions on the cover's reverse were detailed and included tips on cutting and framing pictures of your favorite stars.

06.16.09     Comments (2)     digg | del.ic.io.us | reddit