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confectyours.bsky.social
@confectyours.bsky.social
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confectyours.bsky.social
Before spectacle, there was gesture.
A Valentine held — quietly.
thepalimpsest.nostalgicconfections.com
This portrait was developed collaboratively within Nostalgic Confections Studio as an emotional and historical reference to early 20th-century Valentine traditions. The composition draws from Edwardian portrait conventions — muted sepia tonality, softened edges, minimal background distraction — and centers on the expressive realism of the subject’s face. The creative process moved through multiple refinement rounds, with particular attention given to facial structure, gaze direction, and subtle emotional calibration. The final result prioritizes sincerity over ornamentation. The heart is unadorned, deliberately plain, reinforcing the idea that Valentine giving in earlier eras often emphasized gesture over spectacle. The image is not a reproduction of a historical photograph, but an interpretive homage designed to evoke themes of innocence, offering, and quiet affection within a late 19th–early 20th century visual language. It is presented as an emotional-historical companion to editorial work exploring Valentine traditions, memory, and domestic ritual.
February 13, 2026 at 4:50 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
“Dear Cupid, be this penance mine…”

A late 19th-century Valentine preserved through the Library of Congress.

thepalimpsest.nostalgicconfections.com

#PrintCulture #VictorianDesign
Victorian Valentine card from 1884 showing a young woman hiding her blush behind a fan while Cupid kneels beside her. Decorative borders, floral motifs, and a printed romantic verse appear below the illustration.
February 12, 2026 at 5:29 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
Valentine’s isn’t about volume. It’s about choosing one person.
A reflection on heart-shaped boxes, confectionery rituals, and the quiet work of sweetness.
thepalimpsest.nostalgicconfections.com/essay-heart-...
This black and white vintage photograph from the 1970s captures Tom Hammond and his wife June Hammond standing in the factory retail store at Hammond’s Candies in North Denver Highlands. The image was taken during the Valentine’s holiday, as seen by the display of heart-shaped chocolate boxes arranged neatly on the shelves behind them. Tom wears the traditional Hammond’s candy maker uniform with a bowtie and signature paper hat, while June is dressed in the button-up patterned smock often worn by retail staff and assistants. Tom smiles warmly with his arm around June, capturing a lighthearted and deeply meaningful moment that embodies the teamwork, love, and generational pride that helped build Hammond’s into a beloved local treasure.
February 11, 2026 at 4:30 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
Before branding became a language, it was a mark.
Darby & Co.’s 1884 stick candy trademark, archived through Orphicon.
👉 open.substack.com/pub/emerydor...

#CandyArchives #Orphicon
An 1884 trademark registration document showing a red-and-white diagonal candy cane design with a “D&CO” monogram, aged paper, handwritten notes, and official stamps related to Darby & Co.’s candy branding.
February 10, 2026 at 5:22 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
ECHO POST
A quiet image worth revisiting. Women at work during the First World War — moving materials, sustaining daily life, carrying forward what history rarely pauses to record. thepalimpsest.nostalgicconfections.com/orphan-icon-...


Archive: thepalimpsest.nostalgicconfections.com/orphicon/
In this unforgettable image, a six-year-old boy named Werfel sits on the stone steps of the Am Himmel orphanage in Vienna, laughing with unrestrained joy as he clutches a new pair of shoes donated by the American Red Cross. Captured by photographer Gerald Waller, this moment was first published in Life Magazine on December 30, 1946 and has since become a poignant symbol of post-war empathy, survival, and the spirit of renewal.
February 9, 2026 at 4:09 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
Thank you for being here — for reading, sharing, remembering, and making space for craft and care.
We don’t take it lightly.
— Nostalgic Confections Creative Team
A vertically oriented illustrated graphic features a vintage-style delivery truck filled with assorted candies, including lollipops, wrapped sweets, candy canes, and chocolates. The truck is centered within an ornate emblem bearing the words “Nostalgic Confections” at the top and “Exactly Yours — Confectionally Yours” along the bottom ribbon. Beneath the emblem, large serif text reads “THANK YOU.” Below that, smaller text states, “Grateful for the hands, words, and small moments that brought us together!” The background is a warm golden tone, and the overall style is decorative, celebratory, and illustrative rather than photographic.
February 7, 2026 at 5:08 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
Not glory. Not spectacle.

Just the steady work of keeping life going.
Women at work in Britain, 1914–1918.

Orphicon archive.
thepalimpsest.nostalgicconfections.com/orphicon-wom...
Black-and-white photograph of women working inside an industrial facility during World War I, handling large sacks or materials under overhead light.
February 5, 2026 at 4:02 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light — Mort Rosenblum.
A clear-eyed look at cocoa’s global story, where sweetness and moral complexity travel together.
thepalimpsest.nostalgicconfections.com/reading-room/
#ReadingRoom #CommonPlace
Cover of Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light by Mort Rosenblum, featuring vintage-style typography and cocoa imagery.
February 4, 2026 at 3:57 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
What lingers when the month closes isn’t always what’s loud — often it’s what’s sustaining.
emerydorsey.substack.com/p/what-lingers
#WhatLingers #CareAndCulture
Alt Text:Close-up of a feather and paper icon used in the “What Lingers” Substack series, symbolizing reflection, writing, and quiet observation.
February 2, 2026 at 4:08 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
Pistachio, rose, hazelnut, citrus — stacked in soft, sugar-dusted mounds, each piece a small expression of culinary memory.

If you enjoy food history, tradition, and the quieter stories behind what we eat, you may enjoy this one.

thepalimpsest.nostalgicconfections.com/nostalgic-ni...
Captured during a visit to London’s Borough Market, this image shows a dazzling variety of Turkish Delight (lokum) piled high in colorful abundance. From rose and pistachio to hazelnut and citrus, each flavor is presented as a feast for the senses. A beloved Middle Eastern confection, Turkish Delight is traditionally made with sugar, starch, nuts, and flavorings — and its presence here, in a bustling London food market, speaks to its enduring global appeal. The photograph stands as a tribute to culinary heritage and the vibrancy of international food culture.
January 29, 2026 at 3:45 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
What we create with care outlasts our rush and noise.
It becomes something quieter — something that lingers.

This image reflects how we think about craft, memory, and the small choices that shape what endures.
— Nostalgic Confections Creative Team

thepalimpsest.nostalgicconfections.com
A decorative illustration of a vintage candy delivery truck centered inside an ornate circular frame. The truck is pale pink with wooden side rails and is filled with colorful wrapped candies and a large peppermint swirl. Surrounding the circle are gold and cream ornamental flourishes and small stars, evoking early 20th-century packaging design. Above the illustration appears the text “Nostalgic Confections,” and below it is a quote reading, “What we create with care outlasts our rush and noise, becoming whispers in the ears of future days.” The overall palette is warm and nostalgic, featuring soft greens, creams, browns, and rose tones.
January 28, 2026 at 5:16 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
The full curatorial note is available in Orphicon — a growing archive of confectionery history, labor, and visual memory.

Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, National Photo Company Collection.
thepalimpsest.nostalgicconfections.com/orphicon-big...

#Orphicon #ConfectioneryHistory
Black-and-white photograph of a vintage delivery truck labeled “Big Four Candy Co., Wholesale Confectioners” parked in a narrow brick alley in Washington, D.C. The truck is shown in profile with painted signage advertising Schrafft’s Chocolates. Brick buildings, wooden fencing, and overhead wires frame the vehicle, conveying an early 20th-century urban industrial setting.
January 27, 2026 at 5:05 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
Short, poetic, almost throwaway:An angel from a mint wrapper.

A city, a memory, a taste that lingered.
thepalimpsest.nostalgicconfections.com/anecdotal-th...
Vintage wrapper for Millar’s Pan Drops featuring a simple blue angel illustration above the product name, printed on cream-colored paper.
January 26, 2026 at 4:49 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
ECHO POST

Brown sugar isn’t just less-refined sugar — it’s white sugar and molasses reunited with intention. This essay explores sweetness, process, and why familiar pantry staples hold deeper stories than we expect.
thepalimpsest.nostalgicconfections.com/nostalgic-ni...

#NostalgicNibbles
A close-up still life shows a large mound of white granulated sugar in the foreground, with loose brown sugar clustered behind it. A small glass container of dark molasses sits partially embedded in the sugar, holding a metal spoon that rests inside the thick liquid. A second metal spoon lies in the brown sugar, its bowl partially buried. Nestled beside the brown sugar is a small molded brown sugar bear, its surface matte and slightly textured. The sugars appear dry and granular, while the molasses is glossy and viscous. The image emphasizes differences in color, texture, density, and form between the materials, with no human figures present and no visible motion.
January 23, 2026 at 4:10 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
“Candy making is the process of osmosis…”
— Tom Hammond Jr.

A reminder that craft lives in the hands long before it lives in books.
nostalgicconfections.com/consciousnes...
#ConfectioneryHistory #CraftTradition #FoodHistory #MaterialCulture #AmericanMakers #HeritageWork #NostalgicConfections
Black-and-white portrait of a young man in a suit and tie, seated and facing slightly to the left. His expression is calm and composed, typical of early 20th-century studio photography. The image has soft lighting and a formal presentation, reflecting the style of professional portraits from the period.
January 22, 2026 at 4:43 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
A single inverted airplane, printed in 1918, reshaped American postal history.
The Curtiss Jenny error—preserved for what it reveals about process, not price.
thepalimpsest.nostalgicconfections.com/orphicon-cur...
A high-resolution archival image of the 1918 24-cent Curtiss Jenny United States airmail postage stamp. The stamp features a decorative red frame surrounding a blue central vignette depicting a Curtiss JN-4H “Jenny” biplane. In this version, the airplane appears inverted—printed upside down relative to the frame—creating the famous “Inverted Jenny” error. The design includes ornate lettering, scrollwork, and the denomination “24¢” along the borders. The image is presented as historical ephemera, emphasizing print process, design symmetry, and the visual impact of the inversion rather than condition or market value. © Public domain. Image source: Smithsonian National Postal Museum.
January 21, 2026 at 3:32 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
ECHO POST

This 1884 trademark registration for Darby & Co.’s stick candy is one of those artifacts — a quiet record of craft, commerce, and design at a moment when candy was still made by hand.

👉 thepalimpsest.nostalgicconfections.com/orphicon-dar...
An archival document from 1884 showing a trademark registration filed by Darby & Co. of Baltimore, Maryland. The aged paper features a centered design with a diagonal red-and-white striped candy cane and an ornate “D&CO” monogram. Text indicates registration for “Stick Candy, Cakes, Drops, Balls, and Dice,” along with the weight marking “5 Pounds,” suggesting bulk commercial distribution. Handwritten notations, official stamps, and legal signatures appear around the margins, situating the document within U.S. Patent Office trademark records. The image reflects early efforts by American confectioners to formalize branding, visual identity, and product recognition in the late 19th century. Source: Library of Congress (No known restrictions)
January 20, 2026 at 5:06 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
We’ve been gathering our longer stories over on Substack — a quieter place for craft, memory, and meaning.

Come find us when you have a moment.
— Confectionally Yours Journal

substack.com/@emerydorsey1
A square icon on a dark background depicting a stylized parchment or document shape in warm cream and soft gold tones. Centered over the document is a brown quill pen angled diagonally from lower left to upper right, suggesting writing or authorship. The design is minimal and emblematic, with smooth edges and muted colors, intended to function as a visual identifier for a journal or editorial platform.
January 19, 2026 at 4:58 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
Thank you.
For the hands that made, the words that shared, and the quiet moments of attention that brought us here together.
We’re grateful — truly — for this community and the care you bring with you.
— Nostalgic Confections Creative Team
A vertically oriented illustrated graphic features a vintage-style delivery truck filled with assorted candies, including lollipops, wrapped sweets, candy canes, and chocolates. The truck is centered within an ornate emblem bearing the words “Nostalgic Confections” at the top and “Exactly Yours — Confectionally Yours” along the bottom ribbon. Beneath the emblem, large serif text reads “THANK YOU.” Below that, smaller text states, “Grateful for the hands, words, and small moments that brought us together!” The background is a warm golden tone, and the overall style is decorative, celebratory, and illustrative rather than photographic.
January 16, 2026 at 4:12 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
Brown sugar is white sugar with its memory added back in.
A new Nostalgic Nibbles essay on molasses, process, and why some ingredients feel like home.
thepalimpsest.nostalgicconfections.com/nostalgic-ni...
© 2025 Nostalgic Confections
#NostalgicNibbles #FoodWriting #Craft
A close-up still life shows a large mound of white granulated sugar in the foreground, with loose brown sugar clustered behind it. A small glass container of dark molasses sits partially embedded in the sugar, holding a metal spoon that rests inside the thick liquid. A second metal spoon lies in the brown sugar, its bowl partially buried. Nestled beside the brown sugar is a small molded brown sugar bear, its surface matte and slightly textured. The sugars appear dry and granular, while the molasses is glossy and viscous. The image emphasizes differences in color, texture, density, and form between the materials, with no human figures present and no visible motion.
January 15, 2026 at 4:23 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
An 1884 candy trademark — when sweetness became paperwork.
Darby & Co.’s registration shows how American confectioners began fixing flavor into identity, mark, and memory.
thepalimpsest.nostalgicconfections.com/orphicon-dar...
An archival document from 1884 showing a trademark registration filed by Darby & Co. of Baltimore, Maryland. The aged paper features a centered design with a diagonal red-and-white striped candy cane and an ornate “D&CO” monogram. Text indicates registration for “Stick Candy, Cakes, Drops, Balls, and Dice,” along with the weight marking “5 Pounds,” suggesting bulk commercial distribution. Handwritten notations, official stamps, and legal signatures appear around the margins, situating the document within U.S. Patent Office trademark records. The image reflects early efforts by American confectioners to formalize branding, visual identity, and product recognition in the late 19th century. Source: Library of Congress (No known restrictions)
January 14, 2026 at 3:32 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
Echo Post

A century ago, Cadbury imagined chocolate not as industry alone, but as harmony —
a factory set within a garden.

Some ideas deserve revisiting. 🍫

Reposts & Cultural Ephemera.

#nostalgicconfections, #candyhistory, #vintageadvertising, #chocolate, #heritage, #craftmemory
A vintage color advertisement for Cadbury’s Milk Chocolate depicting a young woman in traditional dress carrying buckets suspended from a wooden yoke across her shoulders. She walks through a lush, flower-filled landscape under a warm sky, symbolizing abundance and pastoral harmony. The words “Cadbury’s Milk Chocolate” appear prominently, framing the scene. The illustration reflects early 20th-century advertising ideals that linked chocolate production with nature, care, and wholesome labor rather than industrial scale. Reposts & Cultural Ephemera.
January 13, 2026 at 5:03 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
Earlier today I shared an echo from a longer piece I recently published.

I’ve begun collecting these essays and reflections as occasional letters—
quiet observations on craft, memory, and the people who shape how we work and live.

🔗 The Language of Craft:

open.substack.com/pub/emerydor...
Square favicon for The Palimpsest featuring a stylized serif quill in sepia on an archival-textured background.
January 12, 2026 at 9:36 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
ECHO POST

Maria led teams, mastered machines, and taught craft with unwavering care — even through chemotherapy. Her story remains worth sitting with. thepalimpsest.nostalgicconfections.com/essay-the-la...
#Craft #ThePalimpsest
A color photograph taken on the production floor of a chocolate factory showing a woman wearing a hairnet, dark shirt, and white apron as she applies dark chocolate by hand to a large sheet of Peppermint Cookie Bark. She stands beside a long stainless-steel worktable covered edge to edge with bark decorated in thin, intersecting chocolate lines. The woman holds a small container of chocolate in one hand while moving her other hand across the surface in a steady, controlled motion. Behind her, additional worktables, racks, and trays are visible, along with other workers in the background engaged in production tasks. The floor is industrial blue, and the space is lit with overhead fluorescent lighting. The image captures an active moment of chocolate finishing within a working confectionery environment.
January 12, 2026 at 4:02 PM
confectyours.bsky.social
ECHO REPOST

An early 20th-century factory floor in Brooklyn, where confectionery production became part of the wartime supply chain. Industrial kettles, rotating drums, and skilled hands working not for pleasure, but for necessity.

thepalimpsest.nostalgicconfections.com/orphicon-cho...
A black-and-white archival photograph mounted on a documentation sheet, showing the interior of an industrial chocolate factory. Several workers dressed in light-colored work uniforms stand among large metal kettles, rotating drum machines, and industrial equipment arranged in rows across a wide factory floor. Overhead pipes and hanging metal light fixtures run along the ceiling. One worker stands near a large open kettle, while others attend to machinery and containers positioned along the right side of the room. Wooden pallets, metal bins, and trays are visible on the floor. Large windows line the far wall, allowing daylight to enter the space. Typed text on the left margin of the mount reads “MAKING CHOCOLATE FOR THE GOVERNMENT,” with additional descriptive information noting preparation and molding of chocolate centers at E. Greenfield’s Sons in Brooklyn, New York.
January 9, 2026 at 3:41 PM