Need Help On a New Research Project Please

[KATE1880]

Ok everyone, have I got a problem I need help with. I recently have gotten my hands on a scrapbook that was from the St. Louis area. The inside front cover said "PICK WICK CLUB" and then listed the four women who were in the "club". The date on the front inside cover says Christmas 1862, so i have to assume that is when it was either given or started.

Inside there was is of cutouts of floral, angels, cherubs, etc. But there is one thing in particular that is unique and it has me totally baffled. There are tons of what look like trading cards, but instead of featuring sports heros they feature religious scenes and bible scriptures. I was going to put photos here, but cannot figure out how to do that, so anyone wanting to see pics of them can send me a pm and I'll send them via regular email. There are over 50 different cards all with different photos and different bible verses. I am not sure if it was a set, something she collected over time or what.

HAS ANYONE EVER SEEN/HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS? Goodness knows that I cannot find any info anywhere. I've googled pick wicks, pickwicks, pic wic and every other thing i can think of. I do not know these particular women or their families to ask any of them about this.

HELP ME IF YOU CAN, I'd appreciate any help i can get on this subject.

[Charles Heath]

Re: Need Help On a New Research Project Please

The good news is you can still buy them by the thousands. Pun intended.

[Spinster]

Re: Need Help On a New Research Project Please

Depending on the theological slant, its likely these are either Roman Catholic prayer cards or Protestant Sunday School cards.

Pictures of various RC saints or religious shrines, along with a short passage about the person's life of faith were common mementos of a pilgrimage to a particular shrine, as well as a reminder to prayer and devotion. The price was modest, and the sort of item one would purchase in numbers sufficient for friends who were similarly devout. Occasionally, they also signified a more substantial gift to a particular location or religious cause.

Protestant cards more commonly bore Bible verses or a Bible illustration--functioning rather like a 'flash card' for verse memorization. While I'm not familiar with the 19th century methodology, mid-2oth century practice was to award these as Sunday School attendance prizes in some Protestant denominations.

[1stMaine]

Re: Need Help On a New Research Project Please

Heh,

As an altar boy, it was a toss-up as to whether I had more football cards or holy cards. :)

Respects,

[Darrell Cochran]

Re: Need Help On a New Research Project Please

Protestant cards more commonly bore Bible verses or a Bible illustration--functioning rather like a 'flash card' for verse memorization.

That's how my Sunday School and Bible School teachers in the (19)50s and 60s used them. The ones I remember actually contained both a verse and and illustration.

[GermanDraftee]

Re: Need Help On a New Research Project Please

You might want to peruse the history page of Brent Devitt's website, Saints Unlimited: the Holy Card Web Page. http://www.donet.com/~devitt/history.htm He provides a nice description of the development of cards, both Catholic & Protestant, as well as other information that might be helpful to you.

Similar items are described in the "Hill/Morgan Family Collection" at Bowling Green S.U.
http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/cac/ms0190.html (Scroll down to "series description"- "Subject Files"-"Religion".)

Hope this is useful,