What are/is ephemera?

Ephemera is a very plural subject. Ephemerists wonder whether the paper material in question is pronounced ‘eff-EM-er-a’ or ‘EE-fe-mer-ah’ (it can be both); is it singular or plural (ditto); and does it include printed or handwritten items (both, depending on who you talk to, although it is usually at least partially printed). The most popularly used definition of ephemera is ‘minor transient documents of everyday life’. This is generally taken to mean printed or written material generally not meant to last long-term, although some ephemera, such as a memorial card or a photograph, are meant to survive the test of time. But we also argue that small everyday objects should be included in our work. Families and archives often marry paper based ephemera and small objects, and although some definitions of ephemera are paper-based only, in our research we want to include other small, easily portable items which were important to people in the past. This means that items such as identity tags, luck charms, and even buttons and hairbrushes are included in our definition of ephemera. As a project team, we adopt a broad understanding of what ephemera are: any small, portable items linked to the First World War and its commemoration count as ephemera for the purpose of our work. From postcards to photographs, forms to pamphlets, luck charms to identity discs we understand this material as everyday ephemera which can lead to a clearer understanding of the past.

The ephemera pictured in our banner image above belong to the descendants of Drummer Andrew Hanton, 7th Northumberland Fusiliers, reproduced with kind permission of Georgia Godsmark and family. The tiny thumbnail-sized photograph and miniature cutting of Drummer Hanton’s death notice have been carefully preserved by the family and handed down since he was killed in France aged 15.