Before pop-up ads on computers and smart phones, there were pop-up ads made from paper.
It's a passion of Bronx native Ellen G.K. Rubin, who for years has collected paper advertising that pops up — or features pull-tabs or moving pieces.
"If they are in my collection, they are movable, which means they have additional parts to them, or they open or close, and so they are pop-up or movable ephemera," said Rubin, who curated an exhibit at the Grolier Club on East 60th Street in Midtown featuring parts of her collection.
What You Need To Know
- "Animated Advertising: 200 Years of Premiums, Promos and Pop-Ups" is an exhibition that is on display at the Grolier Club in Midtown Manhattan
- The exhibition features interactive paper advertising like pop-ups, pull-tabs and moving pieces from the collection of Grolier Club member Ellen G.K. Rubin
- The Grolier Club is the nation's oldest and largest society for bibliophiles
It's called "Animated Advertising: 200 Years of Premiums, Promos and Pop-Ups." It includes pop-up books, ads and volvelles, which are movable dials. Rubin says they are all hand-assembled.
"There is no machine that can make these things, and so every time you touch a pop-up book, it has passed through human hands," Rubin said.
Rubin first got the idea to collect when she purchased pop-up books for her kids. The exhibition displays how this mix of paper art and engineering has been used to sell products and to promote just about anything.
Rubin has become so well-known for her collection, she has received a title of sorts.
"People will not remember my name, Ellen G.K. Rubin, but they will say the pop-up lady, and that's just fine," she said.
You can check out the pop-up lady's collection through Feb. 11. Admission is free. Find out more on the Grolier Club's website.