This is my favorite find of the week and, in fact, one of my favorite things ever--and one I'll be very glad to frame up and keep in my own collection forever. It is a Mount Lebanon Shaker uncut sheet of labels, letterpress printed on thin, best blue paper, c. mid 19th century or so. I love antique Shaker labels in general, but for me this is in a class of its own, feeling like pure found/accidental poetry, and with a spelling error to boot. With the stand alone "Between" starting off the list just the absolute right, perfectly ambiguous word, coming around again to describe shirting fabric that is neither fine nor common, but between. And then the "Crude" in Crude Tartar feels as if another level/strata in the fine to between to common to crude spectrum, aptly placed at the bottom. All in just the best all capitals font, and with a slightly variation in left justification that breathes even more life into it. Almost feels like a 19th century Jenny Holzer.
I know this came from the collection of major Shaker collectors Faith and Edward Andrews.
6 7/16" x 5", very good condition, clean and crisp, with tiny tiny tiny tear to upper right corner.
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