Family Ephemera and Children's Materials
Ephemera items are some of the most engaging materials in archival collections, as they show what people from the past valued and collected, often revealing that they are not so different from us today. Ephemera items in the collection include fraternal organization pins, holiday celebration invitations, and even child hair clippings! Child drawings and writing fragments also offer a glimpse into 19th and early 20th-century childhood and how children interacted with their family members.
The impact of Horace B. Hooker being away at war is evident in some of his children’s artwork. There is an amazing drawing titled “Father’s Sleeping Tent,” dated January 1862, depicts Horace and his bunkmate in their tent with their belongings. It shows how his children tried to imagine their father while he was away and used art as a coping mechanism to keep him safe in their minds. There is a second sketch, dated 1864, of Horace in his military uniform smoking a pipe. The lapse of time between these images reflects the sacrifice the family made while Horace fought for the Union during the Civil War.
The collection also includes other striking pencil sketches of family members, which successfully capture the essence of each person. It is unclear who the artist is, except for one drawing signed “Yours truly, Lou.” These materials demonstrate how generations leading up to Helen Hooker O'Malley valued creative expression.
A strip of drawings, apparently from a young child, includes some labeled images. It is unclear whether the strip is meant to tell a story or if the images are individual pieces. The labeled drawings say: “Aunt Peter fatigued,” “A mammoth cabbage for sale,” “The roses are red, the violets are blue, the daisy is pretty, and so am I,” and “Our [illegible] going on a journey.” This strip of drawings is particularly delightful, showing the random and humorous nature of children’s creativity.
Beyond art, the family seemed to deeply value writing poems and short stories. One poem by an unidentified author is titled “Notes on an Incompatible Marriage,” dated 1924. It leaves the reader with questions such as who wrote it, whether it was biographical, and the circumstances of the marriage—whether it was arranged or a love that faded over time.
Other more scholarly writings include an essay about their family history, and specifically the puritain values and beliefs of their early ancestors. The author was critical of puritain ideology, describing their conservative lifestyle as "making the world duller." The author is glad that culture has become more expressive and creative.
