Not one but two complete Froebel kindergarten albums today, which I chose to list side by side as they complement each other wonderfully--this one American, c. 1890s, showcasing (very beautifully and very extensively) the exercises of paper pricking and thread drawings; the other German, c. 1880s I believe, showcasing paper weaving. Both are clearly the work of kindergarten teachers, showing mastery of the exercises and materials, and tremendous dexterity of execution. I've never seen such precision paper pricking as here--page after page of nothing but tiny punctures to the white pages, marking out lines and blocks of lines and shapes and patterns and, finally, whole pictures. And then page after page of thread drawings, again progressing from simpler to more complex, and with the added beauty of the thread having yielded finely toned lines on the opposite (facing) pages, drawings on top of drawings. Photos document pretty much all of it, an exquisite example. And with the added benefit of being able to see the backs of the pages, showing that each of design was mapped out on graph paper first, and revealing the process of the stitching, with dangling threads showing too. Yum.
9 1/2" x 7 9/16". 29 accordion fold card weight leafs total, with two completed pieces per leaf plus their backsides visible from the opposite direction--so one could take this apart and have 57 full page pieces total with blank reverse sides. 21 white pinprick pages plus 36 thread drawings. All in beautiful, pretty much pristine condition--the only flaw in that the front, velvet covered cover is detached from the rest of the album. Otherwise in pretty darn near perfect condition.
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