1914 Richard Brooks New Year Blotter Salmon Red Ink Calendar Peach for Sale

1914 Richard Brooks New Year Blotter Salmon Red Ink Calendar Peach For Sale

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1914 Richard Brooks New Year Blotter Salmon Red Ink Calendar Peach:
$13.99

This is a promotional blotter from Richard Brooks, featuring a New Year’s greeting for January 1914. The item is printed on a single sheet of light peach or salmon pink blotter paper, a common utilitarian stock designed to absorb excess ink from fountain pens and dip pens, with all typography and decorative elements executed in a contrasting red ink. The composition is divided into three distinct sections. At the top, a large, ornate initial “M” adorned with floral or foliate motifs introduces the greeting: “MAY this / day and all / the days of the / New Year bring / to you and all / those who are / dear to you / the sunshine / of happiness.” This sentiment, typical of early twentieth-century well-wishing, reflects the personal and commercial correspondence practices of the period, when blotters served dual roles as practical office supplies and vehicles for social or business outreach. Below the greeting, the name “RICHARD BROOKS” is centered in bold red lettering, identifying the distributor—likely a local merchant, professional such as a lawyer or doctor, or an individual sending seasonal greetings to clients, friends, or associates. The bottom portion of the blotter contains a calendar for January 1914, enclosed within a decorative red border. The calendar displays the days of the week from Sunday to Saturday, with the numerical grid beginning on Thursday, January 1, and running through Saturday, January 31. No geographic location is printed on the blotter, so the specific town or county of Richard Brooks remains unidentified, though the item itself is a representative artifact of early twentieth-century American or British print culture. The blotter shows minor faint discoloration on the left side above the name, consistent with age and handling, but the red ink remains legible and the edges are generally intact. The use of red ink on a peach ground, combined with the floral initial and calendar format, exemplifies the typographic and design conventions of promotional ephemera from the 1910s, a period when such printed materials were widely distributed to reinforce personal and commercial relationships. This blotter documents a moment in the history of advertising and social custom, capturing the intersection of practical stationery, seasonal greeting, and calendar functionality in a single, collectible piece. Related Items: