EPHEMERA - The Graphic Design of the MAK Library and Works on Paper Collection

The MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art in Vienna is home to one of the largest works on paper collections. The publication EPHEMERA: The Graphic Design of the MAK Library and Works on Paper Collection shows examples from the 18th century to the present day divided into eight chapters (decorated papers; greeting cards, letter paper; playing cards, visiting cards; invitations, admission tickets, dance cards, ladies’ gifts, place and menu cards, labels; ex libris; dust jackets, bookmarks; fashion pictures; promotional materials, poster stamps). Every chapter begins with a photograph of the areas of the MAK that are not open to the public, rooms where exhibits are stored and researched, arranged in various forms from collection files and boxes to individual sheets. Even the cover design makes reference to these repositories, resembling as it does an archive box: with its wooden structure and archive label, the design initially seems very reserved, but with the red edge coloring on three sides—an original pattern by Koloman Moser—it alludes to the “hidden treasures” within.