Twenty-five-year-old Rosa Dietz Hubbard of Mason City assembled this scrapbook in 1891 from colorful trade cards, scraps, and greeting cards.

Scrapbooking was a popular pastime in the late 19th century, particularly for women and children. Advances in printing technology made colorful, elaborately-printed paper ephemera cheap and plentiful. At the same time, women in the growing middle class had increasing leisure time to engage in craft hobbies, particularly those that resulted in something artistic, decorative, or beautiful.