“Why Do You Collect Photos of People You Don’t Know?” (And Why Ephemera Matters)

I get this question a lot.

Usually it’s asked politely, with curiosity. Sometimes it’s asked with genuine concern. Occasionally it’s asked in the same tone people use when they say, “So… are you okay?”

“Why do you collect photos of people you don’t know?”

If you’ve ever picked up an old postcard or photograph and felt like you were accidentally eavesdropping on someone else’s life, congratulations — you already understand ephemera. You just didn’t have a word for it yet.

That slightly intrusive, I shouldn’t be here but I am feeling? That’s the whole thing.

Ephemera is the paper that was never supposed to last. It’s the postcard mailed once and forgotten. The receipt meant to be tossed. The portrait tucked into a drawer and ignored for fifty years before someone cleaned out an attic and thought, “Well. This is unsettling.”

These items were created for short-term use, not for museums, collectors, or people like me squinting at handwriting under a flashlight at 11 p.m.

And yet… here we are.

So… what is ephemera?

Ephemera refers to paper items created for temporary use — things meant to be handled, mailed, posted, folded, and eventually thrown away without ceremony or guilt.

Unlike books or official records, ephemera was never designed to survive. Its entire purpose was immediate, practical, and extremely unconcerned with the future.

Some common examples include:

• Postcards and letters

• Real Photo Postcards (RPPCs)

• Studio portraits and snapshots

• Trade cards and advertisements

• Programs, tickets, menus, and invitations

• Receipts

In other words: the paper trail of everyday life. The stuff no one thought twice about until it didn’t disappear like it was supposed to.

What ephemera isn’t is just as important. It’s not books, fine art prints, or documents created with permanence in mind. A birth certificate was meant to survive. A postcard scribbled on the back of a hotel desk absolutely was not.

Ephemera is defined less by what it is and more by how casually people treated it.

Why ephemera was never meant to survive (and yet did anyway)

Most ephemera was printed on inexpensive paper with cheap ink. It was handled constantly, folded, creased, mailed across the country, stuffed into pockets, taped to walls, and occasionally repurposed for things like grocery lists or pressing flowers.

Once it served its purpose, it was discarded without a second thought.

Nobody in 1907 was saying, “You know what? Someday a woman with a smartphone and opinions is going to deeply analyze this postcard like a crime scene. Better save it.”

And yet, some of it survived anyway. Accidentally. Quietly. Against all odds. Possibly under a couch for decades.

That’s part of the magic — and why finding it now feels a little bit like winning a very niche lottery.

Why ephemera matters now

History books tend to focus on big events, famous names, and people who already knew they were important.

Ephemera fills in the rest.

It shows us what people actually did, said, complained about, worried over, and found worth mentioning on an ordinary Tuesday.

Ephemera captures:

• Ordinary people who never made headlines

• Handwriting, slang, and unfiltered language

• Fashion, posture, and body language

• Social norms and expectations

• Small-town businesses, schools, and events

One of my favorite finds was a postcard whose entire message read:
“Train late. Cold. Soup bad.”

No drama. No romance. No historical weight. Just vibes.

And somehow, that tiny complaint told me more about daily life than an entire chapter of a textbook ever could.

That’s ephemera at its best: deeply unglamorous and incredibly revealing.

Ephemera vs. memorabilia (these are not the same thing)

This is a very common point of confusion, especially if you’re new to collecting.

Memorabilia is created to commemorate something important — a war, a championship, a famous person, a milestone event. It’s meant to be saved.

Ephemera is the opposite. Its survival is unintentional.

A concert ticket from a legendary performance is memorabilia. A grocery receipt listing milk, bread, and coffee from 1912? Ephemera — and honestly, way more interesting to me.

Both are collectible. But ephemera tends to feel more human. Less polished. Less curated. More this existed, whether anyone cared or not.

Portraits: where ephemera gets personal (and occasionally unsettling)

Portrait ephemera — studio photos, cabinet cards, tintypes, snapshots, and RPPCs — might be my favorite category, because they hit differently.

These weren’t taken for history. They were taken for family. For friends. For love interests. Sometimes just because someone finally had access to a camera and thought, “Sure. Why not.”

You can often see people deciding how they want to be remembered. Serious. Confident. Respectable. Occasionally awkward. Sometimes unintentionally hilarious.

And yes — children almost always look miserable. This is not a myth. Exposure times were long, holding still was hard, and smiling wasn’t yet culturally expected. Also, imagine being dressed like a tiny adult and told not to move while a stranger stares at you intensely.

I’ve had people tell me these photos are “creepy.” I get it. But I think what we’re reacting to is honesty. These people aren’t performing happiness for us. They’re just… there.

And somehow, that makes them feel very real.

Why collectors care about ephemera

Collectors don’t collect ephemera just because it’s old. They collect it because it’s layered.

Value comes from a combination of:

• Rarity (especially small towns or short-lived businesses)

• Condition (legibility matters — mystery handwriting is fun until it isn’t)

• Subject matter (war, medicine, women, labor, death culture, etc.)

• Personalization (names, dates, locations)

• Visual impact

I’ve watched a completely unremarkable piece of paper become suddenly fascinating the moment a name or location appears.

Context is everything. Always.

Why ephemera matters for resellers, too

If you resell ephemera, understanding what it is (and why it matters) makes you better at everything:

• Writing accurate descriptions

• Dating items without wildly guessing

• Pricing with confidence

• Building trust with buyers

• Spotting overlooked gems

Buyers can tell when someone understands what they’re selling — and when they’re just saying “circa” and hoping for the best.

Education isn’t just helpful. It is part of the value.

The quiet power of disposable paper

Here’s the thing: ephemera matters because it was never supposed to matter.

It survived by accident. And in doing so, it preserved the parts of history that didn’t think they were worth saving.

The mundane.
The personal.
The forgettable.
The mildly disappointing soup.

When you hold ephemera, you’re not just holding paper. You’re holding a moment that slipped through the cracks and somehow made it to you.

And honestly? That’s kind of incredible.