I spotted it at the car boot. Things like this attract me. I took a closer look. It was an old scrapbook.
The original owner's name, address... and even his age, were clearly written inside the front cover.
I guess for most of the rummaging crowd it was worthless junk... but for me it was a priceless artefact. Not in the monetary sense, but in a simple nostalgic way.
On close inspection I discovered it was an 11 year old schoolboy's prized collection of 1950s cutaway illustrations from the Eagle comic.
Each page of the scrapbook was lined with the vivid draughtsman diagrams of artist, L. Aswell Wood. I noted the comic pages were dated between 1954-56.
And what's more... each diagram had been meticulously cut out and conscientiously pasted into place, back then; in the mid 20th century; by a young boy who would now be in his early 70s.
The heavy card pages had turned brown with age and carried the reassuring aroma of old paper and ancient glue. At a quick glance I could see the scrapbook contained a wealth of themes.
These ranged from the humble 15 ton steam roller, which was once a regular sight on our roads, and was often accompanied by the strong smell of bubbling tarmac...
through to the prospect of an environmentally clean atomic power station... and a futuristic Atomic Airliner which would travel at 10.000 m.p.h.
There were exciting record breaking boats, planes, cars and trains. The Duke's Helicopter and a Royal Car rubbed shoulders with the wonders of atomic age engineering.
Cross section drawings revealed the secret inner workings of what was then, cutting edge technology and design.
The illustrations gave full colour visions of an optimistic future from the viewpoint of a post-war monochrome world.
The diagrams were a products of their time; they supported the narrative that Great Britain was an important member of the technological avant-garde,
pioneering the way towards a better world with our steam roller and our mobile dental clinic.
I lost track of time and place as the noisy car boot hustled and bustled in detached silence around me.
Holding the heavy scrapbook, I could almost feel the lingering dedication and enthusiasm the original owner must have felt, each time he carefully added another cutaway to his encyclopaedic collection.
Thank you John Layton, age 11, for creating this colour snapshot of a childhood past... wonder whatever became of you old fella?
Tony K
Tony when you first mentioned this scrapbook a couple of days ago, I would never have guessed it was something so magnificent! A true one-of-a-kind treasure to cherish, a real find.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed that various heirlooms and old items have been traced back to their previous owners through Facebook call-out. It would be super to hear Mr. Layton reminisce over his Eagle childhood.
Hi Arto, Thank you for your kind thoughts about the scrapbook. I should've known you'd also see the appeal of an old object like this. I've not heard of Facebook call-out before, but I'll check it out. You're absolutely right, wouldn't it be brilliant to hear Mr. Layton talk about his scrapbbok. Thank you... great idea! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat an impressive item. Brilliant that it has survived.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kevin, it's nice to know you also see the true value contained within this tatty old scrapbook. Yes, there's something very comforting knowing that such a small but significant fragment of someone elses childhood has survived for a later generation to share. Perhaps it's what we would all hope for with something which we hold dear in our own collections or lives. A nice thought :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Arto, a great way to check in and see if the owner is still around, but what a stunning collection!
ReplyDeleteI would like to see some of those future designs really happen!
ReplyDeleteHi Brian, Good point! The Vertical Take-Off Airliner reminds me the MV-22B Osprey, which I think may be in use with the USMC? I wonder if the triangular Supersonic Jet Bomber of Tomorrow has a 'stealth' look about it? Or should it have been a potential design for a Project SWORD craft? Sadly the Future Commercial Airport (30 years from now), didn't quite take off though :)
DeleteHiya Bill, Yes, Arto made a brilliant suggestion. I'll follow this up! It would be fantastic to hear John Layton reminisce. If I can contact him, I'll let you guys know. Thank you for your thoughts, it nice to know other fellow collectors see what I saw :)
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing find! The sort of thing you dream about, but rarely find.
ReplyDeleteHi Lewis, it was an unusual find, and one I fully appreciate. Doesn't happen very often, ha ha. The scrapbook will be well preserved during my time as custodian. Thanks for your comment :)
ReplyDeleteabsolutely wonderful!!!!!ew
ReplyDeleteThanks EW. Great to know you also have an appreciation for these wonderful old things :)
DeleteIt is a gorgeous thing Tone. So non-descript when closed too. You did well to go beyond the cover and open it up. I suppose kids did cut up their comics. I know I did. For some reason cutting stuff out and sticking them in scrapbooks seemed to make them even more personal. I did the same with Kung Fu stuff. I still have the scrapbook. I dread to think how many comics and annuals I dissected to get the picture I wanted in my own project book! I wonder if kids nowadays bother with scrapbooks? Again, congrats on a lovely discovery.
ReplyDeleteHiya Woodsy, thank you. I had a scrapbook as well. Sadly, not a very imaginative or tidy one really. It was full of cello-taped cuttings from the Radio Times and TV Times, accompanied by my own childhood TV and film reviews.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant that you still have your Kung Fu scrapbook. It would make a lovely piece for the blog if ever you have time. Love to see some old Kung Fu cuttings from the 70s. Just a thought.
Good luck with the humidity problem... hope you've found a working solution. Take care :)
I once created a website for returning old books to previous owners Tone! It coincided with creating a monsters blog and a Moonbase blog. Moonbase won and the rest were dropped!
ReplyDelete