Ivory Memorandum Case
Subject
Accessories
Title
Ivory Memorandum Case
Date
ca. 1860 - 1880
Format
L: 3 1/2 inches x W: 1 3/4 inches (9 cm; 4.6 cm)
Description
This accessory is a daily planner, with a different page for each day of the week but leaving Sunday as a day of rest. Assembled like a fan, the ivory pages allowed the user to write notes in pencil which could then be wiped clean. These memo cases and day planners were also known as "aide memoire" or, because of their popularity among women, "chatelaine notebooks."
This artifact was one of the first of many in a series that developed into the technology we use today. Reusable memo cases evolved into daily planners with paper pages, which allowed the user to schedule activities up to a year in advance. To make matters easier, electronic planners were introduced. Finally, modern cell phones can file any and all events into a calendar and give notifications when an activity is imminent. While there are few surviving examples of these memo cases to learn from, they had an influence on future technology.
This artifact was one of the first of many in a series that developed into the technology we use today. Reusable memo cases evolved into daily planners with paper pages, which allowed the user to schedule activities up to a year in advance. To make matters easier, electronic planners were introduced. Finally, modern cell phones can file any and all events into a calendar and give notifications when an activity is imminent. While there are few surviving examples of these memo cases to learn from, they had an influence on future technology.
Source
Donor: Abby Bullock Burgess (Mrs. Alexander Burgess)
Identifier
URI 1955.05.78
Contributor
Emma Silverton
Collection
Citation
“Ivory Memorandum Case,” Historic Textile and Costume Collection, accessed May 17, 2024, https://uritextilecollection.omeka.net/items/show/285.