Over a decade ago I wrote about the rebus baby announcement and the people of the rebus. What started as an idle curiosity based on the discovery of a crumbled scroll of butcher paper in the attic has become a fascinating journey into family and daily life in 1905.

The rebus contains references to contemporary songs, movies, and comic strips, news of current events, including the circus coming to town, President Teddy Roosevelt’s trip to hunt bears in Colorado, and racial stereotypes in popular products.

After we discovered the rebus, we used the facilities of the university’s conservation department to preserve what we could of it. Recently, Conservation Framing in Truro did further restoration and framed it, the largest frame being about four feet long.

There’s too much for an ordinary blog post, but this file summarizes what we’ve learned so far.