Original late 19th-century "Album de Décalcomanie" (c. 1890).

Original late 19th-century "Album de Décalcomanie" (c. 1890).
Before modern temporary tattoos existed, children and adults enjoyed décalcomanies—water-transfer images that could be applied to paper, toys, glass, wood, porcelain, and even, on occasion, the skin for short-lived decoration. This charming French album contains a variety of colorful transfer designs, illustrating one of the earliest forms of transfer printing.
The same basic water-transfer process was later adapted for the first commercial temporary tattoos, making these early decal albums true ancestors of today's fake tattoos. A wonderful piece of printing history, equally appealing to collectors of ephemera, tattoo memorabilia, and antique advertising