6/21/09

TED KRAMER, father


There once was a man named Ted Kramer who kept scrapbooks about all the important events in his life. Two scrapbooks full of ephemera from his college days in the 1930s, illness, graduation, courting, marriage, and fatherhood. I'd never before seen scrapbooks so lovingly put together by a father/husband. Unfortunately the albums ended up on a junk table at a flea market being sold by a daughter. It was a cold foggy day and the daughter was thrilled to unload the albums and go home. She gave me a photo of her father so that there would be some connection with all the lovely cards, letters, telegrams, and dried bouquets.

Ted is gone, but let's wish him a Happy Father's day for once being someone who cared so much. 

A card from his children on Father's Day.

Click on images to see them larger.
fathers day cart_front_tatteredandlost

fathers day card_int_tatteredandlost

fathers day card_back_tatteredandlost
Card publisher: Wishing Well Greetings, date unknown

6 comments:

  1. I am a great ephemera collector and I am always amazed when items like this end up on a table top. It's really sad, but then people like you get a chance to preserve history. I love your blog - it's great.
    Best wishes
    Laurie (England)

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  2. When I found them I was really excited. The woman asked $25 for them combined. She told me they'd been kept in a shed which made me sad, but at that time I really hadn't grasped what all her father had collected. Then when I sat down with these two huge volumes and looked through at all of it I really felt so sad that nobody in his family appreciated them. They're in bad condition so I have to be very careful with them, but yes, a real find. Glad you like it here. Makes it seem worth while.

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  3. It's nice to know that Ted Kramer's life story in memorabilia will be in excellent hands from here on out. I hope you will share more with us in future posts.

    Nice Father's Day tribute!

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  4. His dance cards alone fill up a couple pages. Virtually all the stuff in the album is in good condition. It's the pages that are falling apart. Old yellow brittle paper. Every time I open an album another small piece falls off.

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  5. Hi Tattered,
    Came to take a look at Laurie's prompting, glad I did, looks like you have quite a collection ! Looking forward to see it unfolding in these pages... great Father's Day piece here.
    Best, Owen

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  6. Hi Owen. I have more paper than Carter's has little pills. Okay, that's a very old old saying that no longer makes sense. One I remember my folks saying. Thanks for dropping in. I never know what I'll stumble upon in my home that will strike my fancy. There's no rhyme or reason to any of it.

    And thanks Laurie from oh so far away for sending someone to this little abode.

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