Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

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Collection

Celebrity portraits scrapbook, ca. 1880s

1 volume

The Celebrity portraits scrapbook contains numerous clipped engraved portraits of actors, actresses, singers, musicians, entertainers, politicians, writers, and other famous individuals that were compiled by an aunt of Florence C. Everett (wife of Norwood, Massachusetts-based journalist William Winthrop Everett) during the 1880s.

The Celebrity portraits scrapbook contains numerous clipped engraved portraits of actors, actresses, singers, musicians, entertainers, politicians, writers, and other famous individuals that were compiled by an aunt of Florence C. Everett (wife of Norwood, Massachusetts-based journalist William Winthrop Everett) during the 1880s.

The volume (32 x 19 cm) has brown leather covers (front cover detached) and contains 176 pages, all of which bear pasted-in engravings that were clipped from various newspapers, magazines, journals, advertisements, etc. Two inscriptions are present on the inside of the front cover; one states “This book is the property of W. W. Everett - 76 Winter St. Norwood, Mass.” while the other reads “The book was made by Mrs. W. W. Everett’s aunt Helen, probably in the 1880s. WWE.” The volume appears to have originally served as some type of accounting ledger before being repurposed.

Notable individuals represented within the volume include Joseph Jefferson, Sarah Bernhardt, P. T. Barnum, Lillie Langtry, Genevieve Ward, J. H. Haverly, E. A. Sothern, Sol Smith Russell, Ada Gilman, James H. Wallick, Adelaide Neilson, Buffalo Bill, Mittens Willett, Henry Clay, Susan B. Anthony, Wendell Phillips, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Louis Pasteur.

Collection

Finding Aid for Sewing Designs Sample Book, ca. 19th-century

1 volume

The Sewing designs sample book contains 47 hand-stitched design samples made of thread on paper.

The Sewing designs sample book contains 47 hand-stitched design samples made of thread on paper. Designs range from simple to complicated shapes and patterns to fruit, a circular shell, and Native American-inspired objects such as a bow and arrow, a moccasin, a snowshoe, and a canoe. Multiple colors of thread are utilized. The sample book (24 x 28.5 cm) is closed with a string tie.

Collection

Missouri and Ohio River sketches, ca. 1870s

1 volume

This collection contains 11 pencil sketches of the Missouri and Ohio Rivers and their surrounding cities. The sketches depict cityscapes, scenic and street views.

This collection contains 11 pencil sketches of the Missouri and Ohio Rivers and their surrounding cities. Each 11.5 x 18.5 cm sketch includes a brief handwritten caption denoting location. The sketches illustrate cityscapes, scenic and street views. Cities shown include Omaha, Nebraska; Saint Joseph, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri; Louisville, Kentucky; and Cincinnati, Ohio. Specific locations depicted include Lafayette Park and Shaw’s Botanical Garden (Missouri Botanical Garden) in St. Louis, Missouri, and Lane Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Collection

New York State oil paintings album, ca. 1850

1 volume

This collection of small paintings is housed in an embossed leather carte-de-visite album with a single metal clasp. Within are 12 landscape oil paintings of Lake Champlain, Lake George, and the Glens Falls area. Each image includes a caption denoting location.

This collection of small paintings is housed in an embossed leather carte-de-visite album with a single metal clasp. Within are 12 landscape oil paintings of Lake Champlain, Lake George, and the Glens Falls area. Each oil painting includes a handwritten caption denoting location.

Collection

Snook's Lives of Celebrated Men: Flobby MacSquelsh, 1846

10 pages

"Snook's Lives of Celebrated Men: Flobby MacSquelsh" are sketches narrating the life of the fictional profligate son of a Barbados planter. The story satirizes the plantation culture of nineteenth-century Barbados.

"Snook's Lives of Celebrated Men: Flobby MacSquelsh" are sketches narrating the life of Flobby Macsquelsh, the fictional profligate son of a Barbados planter. The story is told on 10 pages (22 x 32 cm) and divided into 11 parts, each part consisting of an ink sketch and a paragraph of text.

MacSquelsh is referred to as the "hero" in the story. He is depicted as a fat man known for his "intense gluttony." As a child, witnessing the whipping of a slave brings Flobby "intense delight." As an adult, he visits Europe and is placed in the distinguished 179th Highland Rifles corps. He engages in heavy drinking, attends balls, and meets a woman but later has "deserted and undid her." He is unfit for hunting, as he loses control of his horse, kills two hunting hounds, and even loses his umbrella. The story ends with Flobby returning to Barbados, where he successfully proposes marriage to a "Lady of Colour" and inherits his father's plantation property. This satirical story is likely a commentary of the behaviors of the planter elite in the West Indies after the abolition of slavery.