Catalogue 63 New Century Antiquarian Books Late Spring 2012

[5] [EPHEMERA] COVENT
GARDEN TEA ROOMS AND
FRUIT CAFÉ.
This Novel Serviette is for the use of
customers, who are welcome to take
them away… Adelaide, W. Page,
Printer, [for The Covent Garden Tea
Rooms and Fruit Café], n.d. but circa
1880s. Printed novelty serviette, 365 x
380 mm, on fine tissue paper, with
central printed promotional text and a
colourful border of blue flowers; two
small holes near the border, in fine
state withal. $330
Very rare.: a fragile and attractive novelty
souvenir and advertisement issued by the
Covent Garden Tea Rooms and Fruit
Café, Adelaide. The text is printed
centrally within the delicate border of
blue flowers and is framed between large
printer’s ornaments: “This Novel
Serviette is for the use of customers, who
are welcome to take them away. THE
COVENT GARDEN Tea Rooms and
Fruit Café, 50 Arcade 50. Try our ‘Ice
Cream’.” The printer’s imprint, W. Page,
Printer, is printed in minute type closely
outside the lower of the large printed
ornaments. The Covent Garden Tea
Rooms and Fruit Café survived well into
the twentieth century with a few
variations of the name.
A very rare survival of a true ephemeron
of late nineteenth-century commercial
advertising.