323. Almost Victorian: VINTAGE PAPER CUT-OUTS

In one of my morning pickings, I chanced upon these 3 paper-cut-outs of religious characters under a heap of paper items. The cut-outs reminded me of  Victorian "scrap"--those  colored printed papers and usually embossed die cuts that were used in Victorian times by both children and adults for various crafting and scrapbooking activities. Scraps first appeared i the 19th century, sold in sheets connected with small strips to join them together. Many people group their collections by themes or special occasions with verses and poems. These local scraps were probably hand-cut from religious prints, and not estampitas (holy cards). Cardboard easels have been added on at the back to make the figures stand--maybe for play purposes. These vintage ephemera are not worth much, but I am keeping them anyway, reminder of an age when people saw value in everything--including paper scraps!