Collections

The Clements Library's collection of individual friendship and autograph albums (the ones that are not part of larger bodies of family papers) dates primarily from the second half of the 19th century. The creators of these albums sought out friends, family, schoolmates, public persons, and others to write signatures, sentiments, poetry, extracts from books and serials, personal sentiments, and more. Contributions often emphasize ties of friendship, exhortations to seek love, happiness, or Christian religious salvation. Most of the volumes in this collection were compiled in the Northeast United States and areas in the Midwest, with urban and rural areas represented. The greater number of the albums were kept by young women and the bulk of the signers were also female. Contributors occasionally illustrated pages with calligraphic designs, trompe l'oeil visiting cards, animals, flowers, and themes that had particular significance to their relationship with the keeper of the album. The volumes in this collection are largely decorative blank books adorned with tooled covers, sometimes containing interspersed engravings of religious, literary, historical, and landscape themes. Some include pasted-in photographs, die-cuts, or stickers.

The Clements Library's collection of individual friendship and autograph albums (the ones that are not part of larger bodies of family papers) dates primarily from the second half of the 19th century. The creators of these albums sought out friends, family, schoolmates, public persons, and others to write signatures, sentiments, poetry, extracts from books and serials, personal sentiments, and more. Contributions often emphasize ties of friendship, exhortations to seek love, happiness, or Christian religious salvation. Most of the volumes in this collection were compiled in the Northeast United States and areas in the Midwest, with urban and rural areas represented. The greater number of the albums were kept by young women and the bulk of the signers were also female. At least one volume was kept by an African American man, Lewis G. Mosebay. Contributors occasionally illustrated pages with calligraphic designs, trompe l'oeil visiting cards, animals, flowers, and themes that had particular significance to their relationship with the keeper of the album. The volumes in this collection are largely decorative blank books adorned with tooled covers, sometimes containing interspersed engravings of religious, literary, historical, and landscape themes. Some include pasted-in photographs, die-cuts, or stickers.

Laura L. Earl's friendship album includes material dating from 1860 to 1932, documenting her relationships across several geographic regions. Entries include poems, signatures, quotations, brief comments, and drawings of calling cards with signatures added. The volume includes engraved illustrations, several entries that feature artistic elements, and miscellaneous tipped in materials.

Laura L. Earl's friendship album includes material dating from 1860 to 1932, documenting her relationships across several geographic regions. Entries include poems, signatures, quotations, brief comments, and drawings of calling cards with signatures added. Additional visual materials include a negative image of a leaf made by splattering ink, a watercolor painting of flowers, and a calligraphic rendering of Laura Earl's name. Places linked to writers include states such as Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Colorado, Missouri, New York, Illinois, Ohio, Kansas, Nebraska, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma. Later entries refer to Laura by her married name, Laura E. Nethers.

Laura L. Earl pasted or tipped in various materials to the volume, including printed poems, calling cards, newspaper clippings, leaves, a scrap of fabric, an advertising blotter, a printed set of four images with Biblical passages, a notice for Mrs. D. E. Denman's funeral services in 1928, and Laura (Earl) Nethers' newspaper obituary from 1932. One calling card is from Laura L. Earl, and includes a photograph of her affixed to it. One clipped newspaper or magazine image shows two white men seated at a table with an African American man serving beverages.

"Pensez A Moi" is printed on the front cover. "Laura L. Earl" is stamped on the front flyleaf, as well as a pencil inscription, "1860. A Christmas Gift from my father, Covington, Ky."

• Modesty and Vanity
• Pensez A Moi
• The Departure
• Fatal Signal
• The Balsille. Eng'd for this Work
• Little Rogues in Trouble

Lydia Brown compiled this notebook of copied poems, principally religious and moral in nature, sometime in the early nineteenth century. She often drew calligraphic titles and other embellishments, including borders, flowers, and leaves. Several times throughout the volume, Lydia Brown includes included "A E 12" after her name, possibly an abbreviation for the Latin phrase "aetatis," indicating she may have been 12 at the time of writing and the volume could have served as an educational exercise for learning penmanship.

Lydia Brown compiled this notebook of copied poems, principally religious and moral in nature, sometime in the early nineteenth century. She often drew calligraphic titles and other embellishments, including borders, flowers, and leaves. Several times throughout the volume, Lydia Brown included "A E 12" after her name, possibly an abbreviation for the Latin phrase "aetatis," indicating she may have been 12 at the time of writing and the volume could have served as an educational exercise for learning penmanship. A test sheet at the end of the volume includes several practice penmanship elements, and pencil lines throughout indicate how Lydia Brown was keeping her writing straight.

• To Hope
• A Paraphrase of the Lord's Prayer
• Charity
• Safety in Christ
• Say Why!
• Childhood
• Life
• Content
• Faith
• Hope
• Charity
• Humility
• Friendship
• Fortitude
• Modesty
• Patience
• Inscription on a Clock
• Friendship
• Sunset and Sunrise
• Reputation
• A Request
• Hope
• The Rose
• Friendship
• Time
• Repentance
• Prayer
• Religion
• The Happy Cottage
• A Thought
• Evening Cloud
• Extract
• An Epitaph
• Time
• Modesty
• Extract
• Repentance
• Life
• Prayer
• The Tear
• Sympathy

This volume contains 12 pages of accounts for the rental of oxen, labor, textiles, and tobacco, 1847-1851; 11 pages of diary entries by Minna R. Harris of Gilford, New Hampshire, November 13, 1880-May 19, [1881?]; 38 pages of pasted-in newspaper clippings and ephemeral items (poetry, visiting cards, rewards of merit, etc.); and miscellaneous notes respecting the Groveland Mills Card Room (Groveland, Mass.) and genealogy, 1884 and undated.

Minna R. Harris's diary entries are brief and they mention visits; attendance and school and church; the receipt of wood, meat, flour, beans, and other goods; Thanksgiving 1880; winter weather; and other subjects, 1880-[1881?]. The pasted-in ephemera includes colored fall leaves, an engraving titled "The Queen of May," a presentation bookmark, cards bearing scripture, rewards of merit for Minna R. Harris, cross-stitch examples, a CDV of an illustration titled "My First Sermon," calling cards including a photo-illustrated card for Mary I. Sommers, illustrated cards for five of the 10 commandments, and others. Printed advertisement cards represent Horsfords Acid Phosphate, F. W. Griswold Watchmaker and Jeweler, Thaxter's Sewing Machine Rooms, and Queen Anne Bouquet manufactured by C. E. Nichols.