Antique Chromolithograph English Die Cuts Scrap Boys & Girls

Please note that this is real, full size antique scrap, not a miniature.

20 years ago my grandfather gave me these exquisite chromolithograph die cut scrap pictures he'd kept in his cellar since the 1920's and 1930's.

My grandfather was a candy maker and bought these embossed scrap pictures to use inside panorama Easter eggs. He gave me the ones he still had left. He told me that after the war, these pictures became impossible to find because all of the factories had been bombed during WW II.

If you've never seen a panorama Easter Egg, it was an egg, made of sugar or chocolate that was hollow. A round hole was left in one end and covered with plastic or glass - if you looked inside the egg, you saw a beautiful scene that looked 3-D filled with pictures of flowers and children playing and all sorts of things!

The scrap pictures themselves are absolutely exquisite. This sheet has six adorable little boys and girls in period costumes.

I've been trying to figure out what era the costumes are - my best guess is Baroque or Colonial . The scrap has a glossy finish and wonderful embossing as well as brilliant colors.

The first boy in the top row is alld ressed up in gold pants, a green jacket with brass buttons and a ruffled collar. He's holding a pail & shovel - pretty fancy for beach or gardening clothes! The little girl in the middle walking in the snow is wearing a gorgeous pink coat with fur trim and matching fur muff. Her pink bonnet has feather plumes. Next to her is a little boy bowing. He's all in blue with a pink ascot tying his white pleated ruff. He's got his hat in hand, like a true little gentleman.

The first girl in the bottom row is at a ball - all dressed up in her teal dress with long pantalets and pink slippers. She's holding a fan to flirt behind. Next to her is a little boy about to tip his top hat! He's wearing a blue jacket, red ascot tie and has plaid pants. The last little girl looks just like Little Bo Peep! She's wearing a red dress with white ruffles and pantaloons peeking out. Her pretty bonnet is tied with a matching red bow and she's holding a rightly colored beach ball.

These are pretty enough to be framed if you're not an ephemera collector or would make absolutely adorable and unique paper dolls !

The sheet measures 6" high and 4 1/2" wide. Each child is about 3" high x 1 1/2" wide at the bottom. This sheet was imported from England. It's marked MLP printed in blue inside an oval as the company name and is also marked with the #762.