As soon as crepe paper was invented in 1890, it was marketed as so cheap it was utterly disposable. Companies provided sample cards and books so one could make extraordinary costumes (and then promptly dispose of them, of course). Because it was so cheap, and could hold ruffled shapes well without sewing, it was a party staple of the early 20th century. In fact, you can find the entire 1925 edition of How to Make Crepe Paper Costumes on Archive.org for free!
Therefore, the ones that survived are rare birds indeed. Or, we'll concentrate on the rare flowers, since it's springtime. Here's our beautiful gal:
Just utterly in love with this one, we held onto her for a few years before we could bare to part with her. She was part of a remarkable buy we did in 2021 on the west side the state near Lake Michigan. The Von Patten family saved all of the family's clothing over three or four generations, with examples dating back to the 1800s, in a barn on their property. It was amazing to see clothing examples of all the children growing up - and then the pieces they bought as adults (adult Victoria loved Betsey Johnson!). Anyway, I digress -
Here are a few more examples I found on ye olde internet, all currently for sale as of this writing from individual sellers.
And let's not skimp on this little boy's bumblebee costume! This one is a little older too, circa 1920s from reputable seller Guermantes Vintage. My own son is already too big for this or I'd be all over it:
The halloween costumes that are available are incredible too, but that's another rabbit hole for another day. Back to our gorgeous example - complete with the brochure from the Mother's Day banquet in 1960. Read more from our listing here.
We hope you'll consider this one for a photoshoot for your little in a garden this spring. What a fantastical heirloom to survive the decades.