Did you know...

That Mark Twain was a scrapbooker?  Really!  Read below...

Scrapbooking can frequently be viewed as a woman's hobby.  There are however, many instances throughout the long history of this popular craft where men have played significant roles in developing the art that is loved my millions of hobbyists today.  Unfortunately, the pull for men in scrapbooking was often the money, while there is plenty of evidence that some of them truly did enjoy scrapbooking as a hobby.  Here are some of the finer achievements of men in scrapbooking history.

In the mid 1800's, London based "W.H. Rock" began producing leather albums with pre-printed pages of flowers and birds.  These albums became popular for scrapbooking hobbyists.  

In 1857, the producing of "carte-de-vista" albums, containing photographic pockets, became popular.

Mark Twain, best known for Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, invented "Mark Twain's Adhesive Scrapbook" with pre-pasted pages.  This idea was one of his most loved business adventures, possibly because it earned him over $50,000.  Don't be too easily fooled, however, because Mark Twain enjoyed scrapbooking so much that he devoted his Sunday afternoons to keeping his scrapbooking albums up to date.

Thomas Jefferson was an addicted scrapbooker.  His albums included news clippings, drawings, and dried leaves.  Men in the eighteenth century helped to produce "Dutch Gilt" or "Dutch Flowered Papers" (lithography or stencilling in Holland or Germany) using wood, metal, or blocks.  Originally intended to line cupboards, these patterns quickly became a favourite in the scrapbooks of the day.  

In the 1870s, companies began mass producing embossed paper for use in scrapbooking albums.

While stickers, iron-on letters, buttons, rubber stamps and metal accents are used today in scrapbooking, the Prang Company developed "album cards" for use in scrapbooks of the nineteenth century.  These sets of ten cards were pictures of birds, flowers, or landscapes to be used in scrapbooks.  

Most ninteenth centre scrapbooks have "calling cards" in them.  These decorated cards were left by guests at the host's home.  They eventually made their way into many scrapbooks because of the fond memories of wonderful parties and dances, not just be women, but as you have already guessed, by men.

Credit goes to Linda Plett (www.virtualinking.com) for sharing this information with fellow stampers.