Conditions Governing Use

The Library believes that all or nearly all material in this collection is likely to be in the public domain, free of copyright restrictions. Visit our Permissions and Publishing page for more information about use of Special Collections materials. The library can provide copyright information upon request, but users are responsible for making their own determination about lawful use of collections materials.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is minimally processed and open for research.

Preferred Citation

MSS 16860, PAAS Dye Company WWI egg transfer sheet, Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was purchased from Eclectibles by the Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia on December 15, 2025.

Biographical / Historical

The PAAS® Dye Company was started by William Townley, who owned a drug store in Newark, New Jersey. In the 1800s he developed a recipe for egg dye tablets for decorating eggs at Easter. He began to sell this product as Townley's Easter Egg Dye packets in 1881. He renamed the business PAAS® Dye Company. The name PAAS® comes from "Passen," the Pennsylvania Dutch term used for Easter. PAAS was a family-run New Jersey business until 1959, when the firm was sold to Abe Plough, a Tennessee entrepreneur whose company evolved into Schering-Plough. The brand was bought by Signature brands in 1999 from Schering-Plough.

Endnotes

Paas Easter Eggs.com. "About Us." Signature Brands. Accessed February 19, 2025. https://www.paaseastereggs.com/about-us/.

Rose, Lisa. "Pastel Legacy: Iconic Easter Product Roots back to 19th Century Newark Pharmacist." Nj. April 19, 2014. https://www.nj.com/essex/2014/04/iconic_easter_product_roots_back_to_19th_century_newark_pharmacist.html.

Signature Brands.com. "The Story and History of Signature Brands." 2024. Signature Brands. 2024. Accessed February 19, 2025. https://www.signaturebrands.com/our-story/.

Content Description

This collection contains a single uncut sheet of seventeen portraits of European royals, military, and political leaders to be used as transfer patterns for decorating Easter eggs by the Paas Dye company. These "Transfer-O-s" are printed in reverse on tissue paper measuring roughly 5 X 9 inches. Produced sometime before the United States entered the First World War, the packaging includes a quality disclaimer made by the company related to wartime supply chain issues saying "Any variation from former standards occurring in this package are unavoidable. The European War compels changes in some instances. We believe, however, these goods will be satisfactory."

The portraits in this set of transfer patterns include (transcribed here as printed): Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany; Czar Nicholas of Russia; King Albert of Belgium; King George of England; Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria; Pres. Poincare of France; King Victor Emmanuel of Italy; King Ferdinand of Bulgaria; King Peter of Serbia; Von Hindenberg; Joffre; Kitchener; Enver Pasha; Cadorna; Grand Duke Nicholas; Arch-Duke Frederick; Von Kluck.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Egg decoration
• World War, 1914-1918
• World politics -- Caricatures and cartoons