Skip to content
Support Affeldt Mion Museum

See inside Anthony Appleworm’s Scrapbooks!


Words from Paul

I am fascinated by things many people disregard as trash, but I seem to find endless uses
for them in my art. What most people would discard, I save, and I think about how I can
use those items in creating interesting things to look at. In 1970, I began to assemble my
collection of inspection slips which were usually found in new clothing, or in various
products like ticket stubs or receipts. I found the first one in 1959 when I’d bought a new
shirt and it had a little slip of paper in the pocket on which was printed “Inspected by No.
37.” I was captivated by wondering what the person who put that in my shirt was like. At
that time, they were just a number.

Several years later, after I had amassed many numbered slips, I found one in a box of shoes
that read: “Inspected by Antonia Salamone.” That put a name on the slip which made me
wonder what Antonia looked like. I kept collecting these slips for final use in a book I titled
Anthony Appleworm’s Scrapbook. There were 33 volumes of these unique scrapbooks and
I had them bound in a faux snakeskin by my tailor, Mr. Robertson, a Scotsman who was
from Edinburgh. They sold for $33 each and I premièred the books on Valentine’s Day, in 1971.

For the opening, the owners of Christopher’s Restaurant had sent me a dozen fancy
cakes, each iced with a date from 1959 through 1970 to match the times I’d collected the
slips. I also made little drawings in each of the books, but I had attached several inspection
slips to the pages with rubber cement, only to regret my choice of glue. Later it dried out
and many of the slips fell out and were lost, or needed to be replaced.

To the present day, my eyes are caught by small slips, like parking stubs, receipts, and claim
checks. I just can’t stop myself from hanging onto them for future deliberation.


Affeldt Mion Museum Logo

Off Season Hours:
Friday, Saturday, & Sunday
9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Location:
La Posada Hotel Depot
303 East 2nd St.
Winslow, AZ 86047

Contact:
info@ammwsa.com
(928) 289-4366

Newsletter Subscription

* indicates required
La Posada Logo
Turquoise Room Logo
Plaza Hotel Logo
Legal Tender Logo
Castaneda Hotel Logo

Please visit our many fine historic hotels & establishments in Arizona & New Mexico!

Back To Top