Red Bird Notebook

Today's ephemera download is the cover of The Red Bird pocket notebook from the 1930s. I love the typography, don't you?  

This little notebook was well-used.  The front pages were filled with math problems and geography homework, and back pages included grocery lists.  I'm thinking the student married just after high school and continued using her school notebook for household tasks after schoolwork was behind her.

I'm old enough to remember Blue Horse school tablets, but Red Bird books were before my time.

When I posted this on my Flickr site, I got the most interesting comment:


"Thanks so much for posting this picture! I'm researching Eudora Welty for my Master's Thesis and she references "Redbird school tablets" in her short story "Lily Daw and the Three Ladies." I had little reference to what a school tablet from the 1930s looked like, much less a Redbird school tablet. Now I can see it so I know what Ms. Welty was referencing - I'm so glad I found your photo!"


Ephemera is not just fun to look at and nice to use in art projects; it can also give us a unique perspective on history!