Rufflands Farm, Dutchess County, New York cattle ephemera album.
Hardcover. 2 folio albums of cattle-related prints, sheet music and lithographic portraits. Presented by Bella C. Landauer, the famed woman ephemera collector to "Rufflands" Farm, a cattle farm on 269 acres in Dutchess County, New York, which was involved in beef production from the late 19th century through the 1900's. With Landauer's signed presentation sticker in each album. One folio contains 36 proof sheets of portraits of cattle breeds from all over the world including England, Wales, Belgium, Mexico, etc. Most are lithographs of cows and bulls in profile by the famous lithographer Julius Bien. There are a total of 164 b&w plates, some numbered in the top right with plate numbers that vary from 19 to 344. Maroon cloth covers with gilt "Rufflands" at lower right front cover; 19 x 13 1/2". Five sheets detached; loose sheets slt ruffled at edges; 3 sheets either foxed or marked, a couple with small watermarks. The other album measures 20 x 24", with 36 pages mounted with all sorts of cow & cattle related items including sheet music ("Cows May Come and Cows May Go but the Bull Goes on Forever", "Maggie the Cows are in the Clover"). 4 pages mounted with 12 German colored lithographs of cattle breeds; the rest w/ b&w engravings of cattle, some steel engravings from the Art Journal & 2 pages of cuts of beef from "The Encyclopedia of Food." Album with black boards, covers detached, with a tied binding.
Bella C. Landauer was an early collector of ephemera, and her collection is held principally at the New York Historical Society (who holds over 800,000 items), and also at the Smithsonian, New York University, and elsewhere. She collected business & advertising ephemera, cameo cards, aeronautical sheet music & early American trade cards, amongst many other categories. It is unknown what her relationship was with Rufflands Farm. Item #13398
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