The Varied and Artistic Uses of Decorative Tissue Paper

The Varied and Artistic Uses of Decorative Tissue Paper

That time of year is upon us. The season when we see lots of gift bags stuffed with brightly colored tissue paper. The simple act of fluffing a piece of tissue paper and placing it in a bag seems to brighten any present. But how about using tissue paper to create art? This trade catalog from over a century ago might spark our creativity.
The catalog is titled
Art and Decoration in Dennison’s Crepe and Tissue Paper
, 22nd Edition (1913, Reprinted 1914) by
Dennison Mfg. Co.
In 1914, at the time this catalog was printed, there were Dennison stores or offices throughout the United States and in Canada, London, Berlin, and Buenos Aires.
Dennison Mfg. Co.
, Framingham, MA.
Art and Decoration in Dennison’s Crepe and Tissue Paper
, 22nd Edition (1913, Reprinted 1914), title page.
Dennison Mfg. Co. sold crepe paper, decorated paper, and tissue paper among other things. Their tissue paper was available in 134 shades and colors. They also sold crepe paper, including decorated crepe paper in a variety of holiday, seasonal, or floral designs and patterns. Besides decorations, these materials could be used for creating art. Personal instruction for such things as making flowers out of crepe and tissue paper was provided at their stores in the Art Departments.
Dennison Mfg. Co.
, Framingham, MA.
Art and Decoration in Dennison’s Crepe and Tissue Paper
, 22nd Edition (1913, Reprinted 1914), pages 6-7, Dennison’s decorated crepe paper.
As the catalog mentions on page 3, it is “primarily a book of suggestions.” The ideas for using crepe and tissue paper are numerous, everything from party, fair, and parade decorations to costumes to creating artwork.
To add a festive touch, a host in the early 20th Century might have created party favors or fashioned crepe or tissue paper flowers to decorate a serving dish. The choices are many and varied. Perhaps a rope basket with daisies along the handle, serving cups decorated with carnation petals or orchids, a basket trimmed with violets, or a Jonquil serving cup, all illustrated below. Handmade party favors might have included hats, crowns, hair ornaments, or even a child’s wand, also shown below.
Dennison Mfg. Co.
, Framingham, MA.
Art and Decoration in Dennison’s Crepe and Tissue Paper
, 22nd Edition (1913, Reprinted 1914), page 42, Serving cups and baskets decorated with crepe and tissue paper.
Dennison Mfg. Co.
, Framingham, MA.
Art and Decoration in Dennison’s Crepe and Tissue Paper
, 22nd Edition (1913, Reprinted 1914), page 60, crepe and tissue paper party favors.
Another creative use of crepe or tissue paper is artwork. Pictures or scenes, such as these winter and natural landscape ones below, can be made out of paper. The catalog suggests starting with a background and then layering paper on top of each other. The sky might be created by layering shades of blue paper, lighter shades over darker shades, and adding white irregularly shaped paper for …