Ellen H. Clapsaddle was a prolific Victorian artist whose work appears on countless postcards. Her lovely Victorian images captivate me. The more Clapsaddle postcards I add to my collection, the more I want to share her work with others. For me, each of the images is like a little trip back through time.  To that end, I started scanning my cards but soon noticed that age had not been kind--Clapsaddle's artistry was marred by dulling colors, specks, holes, scratches and deteriorating paper. Since there is no longer a copyright on the original cards, I decided to restore some luster to the fading graphics, examples of which appear here.

 

Happy Valentine's Day: Ellen H. Clapsaddle Restorations

Music: Danny Kaye's version of  Inchworm

 

 

Happy Easter: Ellen H. Clapsaddle Restorations

Music: A Disney version of  Here Comes Peter Cottontail

 

 

Halloween Art: Ellen H. Clapsaddle Restorations

Music: John Barry's version of the theme from Somewhere in Time

Clapsaddle Halloween Restorations II

Music: People are Strange by The Doors

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving: Ellen H. Clapsaddle Restorations

Music: We Gather Together

 

Thanksgiving Postcards II

Music: Over the River and Through the Woods

 

A Present Help: restored Victorian pamphlet illustrated by Ellen H. Clapsaddle

 

 

 

1909 Sunshine's Heart calendar illustrated by Ellen H. Clapsaddle

 

 

 

Clapsaddle's 4th of July

 

 

 

Clapsaddle:  She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not

 

"Mechanical" postcards have moveable parts.  How these wonderful cards made it through the mail 100 years ago is astounding.  I have animated some of these cards to give the viewer a sense of what it is like to turn the wheels that produce kaleidoscopic effects.

 

Mechanical Christmas Postcards

Animated versions of a dozen vintage mechanical postcards by Ellen H. Clapsaddle and others.  Music: The Beach Boys' Little Saint Nick

 

 

 

Mechanical Valentine's Day Postcards

Come and see my new animations of vintage mechanical postcards with valentine themes

 

 

Easter Mechanical Postcards

 

 

Calendar Postcards