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The long-term significance of printed ephemera

This research draws on a wide range of printed items to argue for the study of printed ephemera – everyday printed material not intended to be permanent – to be seen as a branch of scholarship analogous in some respects to bibliography, cartography and the graphic aspects of musicology. It highlights distinctive features of ephemera, among them 'street reading' in letterpress posters and 'graphic dialogue' in forms. Leaving aside the accepted value of ephemera for business, cultural, and social historians, it is argued that the value of printed ephemera lies in the exceptional opportunity it provides for the study of the evolution of display typefaces, the paper and other substrates and techniques used in printing, design genres, and, in the case of popular items, different states and variants.