Free Vintage Holiday Postcards: Bonne Année (Happy New Year)!

A vintage Bonne Année (Happy New Year) greeting postcard from the early 1900s. This real photo postcard (RPPC) shows a young woman blowing a kiss as she holds a basket of flowers with the words Bonne Année in gold letters below her image. The original sender of the postcard has signed her name (looks like "Cordula") on the upraised arm of the lady in the photo.

Download and use in various altered art, graphic design, papercrafts or scrapbooking projects. You can find the free high-res 4" x 6" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.

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All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Printable Fashion History Illustration for Altered Art, Graphic Design, Papercrafts or Scrapbooking: Victorian Ladies with Fans, 1892

If you can learn to stay cool and keep thinking,
you’ll figure out what you need to do.
Vincent H. O'Neil, A Pause in the Perpetual Rotation

A vintage fashion history illustration from 1892 showing two Victorian ladies, one holding a large folding fan and the other holding a little paddle fan. Scanned from my personal collection of antique La Mode Illustrée magazines.

Download and use in various altered art, graphic design, papercrafts or scrapbooking projects. You can find the free high-res 8" x 8" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.

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All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Food History: 19th Century American Recipes for Spanish Buns, Sponge Cake and Seed Cake (from 1866)

Three 19th century American dessert recipes for Spanish buns, sponge cake and seed cake, all from an 1866 issue of Peterson's Magazine. The Spanish buns sound quite boozy, with generous portions of wine and brandy, and flavoured with rose-water and currants. You can download the free, high-res 8” x 8” @ 300 ppi recipe card here. Can be used as a gift tag, dinner invitation, place card or in junk journal and scrapbooking projects.

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All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Printable Vintage Illustration for Mixed-Media Collage, Journaling, Papercrafts or Wall Art: The First Step, 1866

If you are loath to take the first step, you will never get anywhere.
Tomáš Gavlas, Karlaz: The Way of Freedom

To move forward, one must take the first step.
Chase S.M. Neill

A black and white engraving from an 1866 issue of Peterson's Magazine. This antique illustration shows a Victorian toddler taking his first step, arms outstretched towards his mother, with a little push from his grandmother (or nurse?).The original caption that appeared with the picture was "The First Step."

Free to download for use in mixed-media collage, journaling, and various papercrafts projects or simply print and frame as wall art. You can find the high-res 10" x 8" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.

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All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Food History: 19th Century American Holiday Recipe for Pommes au Riz (from 1866)

A 19th century American cookery recipe for Pommes au Riz from an 1866 issue of Peterson's Magazine. This looks like a delicious apple-flavoured rice pudding, a pleasantly light dessert or snack after heavier holiday fare. You can download the free, high-res 8” x 6” @ 300 ppi recipe card here. Can be used as a gift tag, dinner invitation, place card or in junk journal and scrapbooking projects.

Creative Commons License
All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Printable Fashion History Illustration for Altered Art, Graphic Design, Papercrafts or Scrapbooking: Travel and Visiting Costumes, 1892

The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

A vintage fashion history illustration from 1892 showing three Victorian ladies standing in the parlor of a house, wearing travel and visiting costumes. A fourth lady is seated in the middle of the room, in a more relaxed at-home dress, lightly conversing with a little girl on her lap. Scanned from my personal collection of antique La Mode Illustrée magazines.

Download and use in various altered art, graphic design, papercrafts or scrapbooking projects. You can find the free high-res 9" x 11" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.

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All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Food History: 19th Century American Holiday Recipe for An Excellent Family Plum Pudding (from 1866)

A 19th century American holiday recipe for "an excellent family plum pudding" from an 1866 issue of Peterson's Magazine. Seems to be a deliciously rich dessert, a perfect ending to a any holiday celebration. You can download the free, high-res 8” x 6” @ 300 ppi recipe card here. Can be used as a gift tag, dinner invitation, place card or in junk journal and scrapbooking projects.

Creative Commons License
All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Printable Fashion History Illustration for Mixed-Media Collage, Graphic Design, Papercrafts or Scrapbooking: A Very Warm Welcome

Once again...welcome to my house. Come freely. Go safely;
and leave something of the happiness you bring.
Bram Stoker

A vintage fashion hstory illustration from 1904 that shows a trio of Edwardian ladies giving a warm welcome to two Edwardian ladies as they arrive in the grand foyer of a house. Original black and white engraving is from my personal collection of antique La Mode Illustrée magazines.

Download and use in various mixed-media collage art, graphic design, papercrafts or scrapbooking projects. You can find the free high-res 8" x 5.5" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.

Creative Commons License
All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Food History: 19th Century American Holiday Recipe for Mince-meat (from 1866)

A 19th century American holiday recipe for mince-meat from an 1866 issue of Peterson's Magazine. Seems to be a favourite dish among many housewives at that time, with a good mixture of meat such as boiled ox-tongue, lots of sweet fruit and plenty of alcohol! You can download the free, high-res 8” x 6” @ 300 ppi recipe card here. Can be used as a gift tag, dinner invitation, place card or in junk journal and scrapbooking projects.

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All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Printable Fashion History Card for Collage, Journaling, Papercrafts or Scrapbooking: The Josephine Evening Dress, 1872

It is easy to decide on what is wrong to wear to a party, such as deep-sea diving equipment or a pair of large pillows, but deciding what is right is much trickier.
Lemony Snicket

A fashion history illustration of the Josephine evening dress; scanned from my copy of the December 28, 1872 issue of Harper's Bazar. The description of the costume reads:

"This tasteful dress for balls and receptions is of white Chambery gauze. The demi-trained skirt is of white silk, trimmed about the knee with puffs of white gauze furnished by a ruffle. The long plain over-skirt is not looped; its trimmings is a flounce arranged in fluted box-pleats, each pleat being gathered an inch below the top. The Josephine corsage, without points or basque, has a square bertha of gauze puffs. Grape clusters with embrowned leaves on the left shoulder and in front of the corsage; a garland of grapes and foliage is on each side of the upper skirt. A scarf-sash of rose-colored China crape is knotted loosely on the side. The hair is arranged in a Josephine coiffure. Coral and gold jewelry."

To download the free, high-res 5" x 7" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark, please click here. Can be used in mixed-media collage art, junk journaling, papercrafts, and scrapbooking projects or simply print and use as a gift tag or greeting card.

Creative Commons License
All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Printable Fashion History Illustration for Mixed-Media Collage, Journaling, Papercrafts or Scrapbooking: Edwardian Ladies After an Alpine Hike

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.
Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.
The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy,
while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.
John Muir

A vintage fashion hstory illustration from 1904 that shows a group of Edwardian ladies who have stopped for a rest after a mountain hike. Original black and white engraving is from my personal collection of antique La Mode Illustrée magazines.

Download and use in various mixed-media collage art, junk journaling, papercrafts or scrapbooking projects. You can find the free high-res 10" x 10" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.

Creative Commons License
All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Printable Fashion History Illustration for Mixed-Media Collage, Graphic Design, Papercrafts or Scrapbooking: Child's Costume for a Winter Walk, 1892

I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently?
And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says,
"Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again."
Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass

A French fashion history illustration from 1892 showing a little girl dreassed in fashionable warm clothes for a cold winter's day walk. In one hand she is carrying a muff while in the other she has a walking stick.

The illustration is free to download for use in mixed-media collage, graphic design, and various papercrafts or scrapbooking projects. You can find the high-res 4" x 7.5" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.

Creative Commons License
All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Printable Fashion History Illustration for Altered Art, Graphic Design, Papercrafts or Scrapbooking: A Friendly Visit, 1892

I don’t necessarily sit around inviting life to knock me down, but when it does I don’t wait around for an invitation to stand back up either.
Craig D. Lounsbrough

A vintage fashion history illustration from 1892 showing three Victorian ladies standing in the parlor. Two of the ladies (left and middle) are wearing promenade costumes and seem to have recently popped in to visit the lady of the house (right). Scanned from my personal collection of antique La Mode Illustrée magazines.

Download and use in various altered art, graphic design, papercrafts or scrapbooking projects. You can find the free high-res 8.5" x 10" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.

Creative Commons License
All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please link back to RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.