Scherenschnitte is the German/Swiss art of papercutting, and it dates back to the 16th century. (Scherenschnitte is, I believe, German for "how-on-God's-green-earth-do-they-DO-that??")

Anyway, a quick tour of Pinterest or Etsy will reveal a lot of intricate, mostly symmetrical designs, plus a few paper-cut Victorian illustrations showing cute children with puppies. I have an entire book of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" illustrated in Scherenschnitte by a retired surgeon who never retired his surgical scissors.

Last week I found a 1935 book, from Germany, in German, with Scherenschnitte illustrations that are a cut above (couldn't resist, sorry) the usual. I am unable to imagine how the artist managed these cuts--free-ranging, non-symmetrical, beautifully composed. And DELICATE. On top of that, the book seems to have been letterpress-printed--I can feel the indentation of the ink on the cotton-rag pages.

I haven't decided how I will one day group my blog posts. For sure, there will be a Storybook Neighborhood category, and an art category. This one could belong in the latter--but it could also go in "Things I Found for a Quarter," which is all this book cost! Gotta love your local thrift store.