I really like this part of Addy’s collection. While I don’t pull it out often, the large book can provide a nice backdrop for photographs or play, and the smaller accompanying booklet is packed with really interesting historical explanations and information.
This giant Scenes & Settings book is made out of foam core and is almost 24 inches tall and 30 inches wide when closed. That means that each 2-page spread is almost 5 feet wide! The paper booklet that accompanies it goes into detail about several aspects of each picture, including its role in Addy’s stories and the historical significance of the details in it.
Here are the books together:
These photos aren’t the best, but hopefully can give you an idea of the rest of the book.
The first two pages in the paper booklet explain the role that each scene plays in Addy’s stories:
After this introduction, the following two pages of the booklet explain the picture of Addy’s home ( in the attic of Ford’s Dress Shop) on the book’s cover. The 12 numbered items explain features like the cobblestone streets, brick sidewalks, gaslights, and architectural features that were common in Addy’s time.
The remainder of the paper booklet correlates exactly, page by page, with the large backdrop book. So after the cover, the next 2-page spread in the large book shows Mrs Golden’s kitchen at the boarding house. Here it is in the large book:
And here it is in the paper booklet, which explains many of the kitchen features such as the coal hod, washtub and washboard, coffee mill, and dry sink:
Next we go to the room Addy shares with her parents in the boarding house. While this room is interesting, it does include some of the furniture you’re likely to have (the bed, washstand, and trunk, plus some smaller items), so I think using this room as a backdrop can be awkward.
The paper booklet explains some of the furniture as well as details like the tintype of the soldier, the mirror made with mercury, the sampler hanging on the wall, and the chamber pot under the bed.
Next is the Sixth Street School. This has some furniture included but I think it still works really well as a backdrop.
I was using it as a backdrop in this picture:
The paper booklet tells about features such as the world map, abacus, writing on the blackboard, and picture of Frederick Douglass.
Then we have Mrs Ford’s Dress Shop.
The paper booklet includes information about how patterns were made, the goffering iron for ruffles, self-heating and sad irons, spools, and other sewing supplies.
The last 2-page spread is the church fair. I think it’s a really colorful outdoor backdrop.
The booklet has information about quilt patterns, fruit preserves, mason jars, and even ice cream.
Finally, the back covers of both books have maps of the area Addy lived in 1864 Philadelphia, with certain locations highlighted. The first picture here shows the whole back cover, while the second one is zoomed in on the map’s key.
I really like both parts of this piece. The large book is especially nice for photo backdrops and play, and I would probably give it a B+ for those purposes. (I took a little off because the bedroom is a bit awkward and it could use a better-proportioned outdoor street scene.) I love how informative the smaller booklet is and how it gives me well-informed inspiration for how to expand Addy’s collection beyond the pieces made by Pleasant Company/American Girl. I think this part can be hard to find on the secondary market, but it gets an A+ from me.
ETA: Another board member asked about the Pleasant Company logo seen on one of my pictures from the back cover, and I wanted to clarify that the logo is only on the back cover of the small paper booklet. The large backdrop book doesn’t have the Pleasant Company logo (nor do any of my other backdrop books). However, in really really tiny letters in the bottom right-hand corner of the map, it does have a 1996 Pleasant Company copyright mark.