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

The collection consists of six penmanship and cypher books kept by William L. Shimer, Susanna M. Shimer, and Nathan M. Shimer of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the 1840s and 1850s and one alphabet card with lower-case and upper-case letters. The blank books include illustrated covers and several have calligraphic titles for their sections. Four of them are dated and range from 1846 to 1853. The cypher books include exercises for arithmetic, fractions, accounting, and weights and measures, with many examples relating to practical issues like farming, business, and estates. Penmanship exercises include the copying of moral proverbs, common business abbreviations, strings of letters, and phrases. Two of the penmanship books are associated with writing systems: George J. Becker's The American System of Penmanship, and Bayson, Dunton and Scribner's National System of Penmanship.

The collection consists of seven penmanship and cypher books kept by William L. Shimer, Susanna M. Shimer, and Nathan M. Shimer of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the 1840s and 1850s and one alphabet card with lower-case and upper-case letters. The blank books include illustrated covers and several have calligraphic titles for their sections. Five of them are dated and range from 1846 to 1853. The cypher books include exercises for arithmetic, fractions, practical geometry, accounting, and weights and measures, with many examples relating to practical issues like farming, business, and estates. Penmanship exercises include the copying of moral proverbs, common business abbreviations, strings of letters, and phrases. Two of the penmanship books are associated with writing systems: George J. Becker's The American System of Penmanship, and Bayson, Dunton and Scribner's National System of Penmanship.

• Uriah Hunt & Son, Booksellers, Philadelphia
• Leary's Cheap Book Store, Philadelphia
• Brower, Hayes & Co., Booksellers and Stationers, Philadelphia
• Henry J. Oerter's Cheap Book & Stationery Store, Bethlehem
• Crosby & Ainsworth, Publishers, Boston

The cover of William L. Shimer's 1848 exercise book includes an inscription "L. Shimer, Co. A 10 reg. Militia Pa." William L. Shimer's 1850-1852 cypher book includes notations that he was attending the Gen. Taylor school and was being instructed by A. Stout, as well as geometrical drawings, calligraphic headings, and a pen-and-ink drawing of an eagle's head holding a banner that reads, "Let teh Stars and Stripes proudly float over you."

The People photographed while reading photograph album contains 82 portraits of people reading as well as three newspaper clippings regarding the accidental death of railroad fireman Joseph Ronk in Wooster, Ohio.

The People photographed while reading photograph album contains 82 portraits of people reading as well as three newspaper clippings regarding the death of a railroad fireman.

The album (26.5 x 21.5 cm) has red velvet covers and a metal clasp. While the album itself and all the photographs in it date to the 19th/early 20th century, these materials were compiled by a noncontemporary individual with an interest in historic images of people reading. Also present are three newspaper clippings related to the accidental death of railroad fireman Joseph Ronk (1865-1888) following a train derailment in Wooster, Ohio, in July 1888.

The Meadville (Pa.) and Scandia (Kan.) photograph album contains cabinet cards, cartes-de-visite, and other photographs of men, women, and children taken in Meadville, Pennsylvania, and Scandia, Kansas, in the late 19th century. Pictures of the National Monument to the Forefathers and a grave marker are included, as is a remembrance card for Nancy Anderson.

The Meadville (Pa.) and Scandia (Kan.) photograph album (27cm x 22cm) contains 38 items, including 26 cabinet cards, 8 cartes-de-visite, 1 tintype, and 3 additional photographic prints. The volume's purple-padded covers are bound in cloth, and it has a large metal clasp. A metallic plate shaped as the word "Album" was once affixed to the front cover and is now laid into the volume.

Most of the photographs are studio portraits of individual men, women, and children taken in Meadville, Pennsylvania, and Scandia, Kansas, in the late 19th century; the children pictured are infants and toddlers. Occasionally, the subjects are shown with a drum, a book, a dog, and one man posed on the sill of an artificial window. Two items laid into the volume are outdoor portraits of adults standing in front of a house, with a windmill visible to the side. A piece of tissue paper affixed to one of the cabinet cards has printed line drawings of a girl's face and flowers. The remaining items are a photograph of the National Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth, Massachusetts; a photograph of a headstone for members of the Smock family; and a black card dedicated to the remembrance of Nancy Anderson (1818-1889), with a brief poem and other details printed in gold.

The John Irwin Griffith photograph album contains tintype and carte de visite portraits of members of the family of Democratic politician and writer, John Irwin Griffith.

The John Irwin Griffith photograph album (15 x 19 cm) contains 33 cartes-de-visite, and 37 tintype photographs of members of the family of Democratic politician and writer, John Irwin Griffith. Included are portraits of infants and one photograph of a man with a long beard. One man is appears standing, wearing a Masonic sash. The photographs were taken in Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, and Nevada.

The album's brown leather cover is embossed in high relief; double clasp with one clasp missing and is housed in a light blue box.

In 1858 James Thompson filled this blank book with notes about the plumbing and water system in the Flass House in Cumbria County, England, which was being constructed circa 1848-1861 by Lancelot and Wilkinson Dent. Thompson wrote about pipes, taps, cisterns and reservoirs, boilers, drains, hard and soft water, hot and cold water, and more. It indicates the use of plumbing, the location of pipes and how they connected to other plumbing equipment, and types of water access in interior spaces including sculleries, bathrooms, water closets, washstands, and butler's pantries. Thompson also noted pipes feeding exterior water supplies like for the cattle's trough, the conservatory, and fountain. Thompson included several pen-and-ink sketches of floorplans and maps of the property to illustrate the location of pipes, as well as a pencil sketch of the house's façade.

In 1858 James Thompson filled this blank book with notes about the plumbing and water system in the Flass House in Cumbria County, England, which was being constructed circa 1848-1861 by Lancelot and Wilkinson Dent. Thompson wrote about pipes, taps, cisterns and reservoirs, boilers, drains, hard and soft water, hot and cold water, and more. It indicates the use of plumbing, the location of pipes and how they connected to other plumbing equipment, and types of water access in interior spaces including sculleries, bathrooms, water closets, washstands, and butler's pantries. Thompson also noted pipes feeding exterior water supplies like for the cattle's trough, the conservatory, and fountain. Thompson included several pen-and-ink sketches of floorplans and maps of the property to illustrate the location of pipes, as well as a pencil sketch of the house's façade.

The volume has a green printed cover with an image of a man and woman standing beside each other in an interior space, labelled "The Squire and his Servant." Various "Arithmetical Tables" are printed on the back cover, including a multiplication table and various conversion tables.

In 1858 James Thompson filled this blank book with notes about the plumbing and water system in the Flass House in Cumbria County, England, which was being constructed circa 1848-1861 by Lancelot and Wilkinson Dent. Thompson wrote about pipes, taps, cisterns and reservoirs, boilers, drains, hard and soft water, hot and cold water, and more. It indicates the use of plumbing, the location of pipes and how they connected to other plumbing equipment, and types of water access in interior spaces including sculleries, bathrooms, water closets, washstands, and butler's pantries. Thompson also noted pipes feeding exterior water supplies like for the cattle's trough, the conservatory, and fountain. Thompson included several pen-and-ink sketches of floorplans and maps of the property to illustrate the location of pipes, as well as a pencil sketch of the house's façade.

In 1858 James Thompson filled this blank book with notes about the plumbing and water system in the Flass House in Cumbria County, England, which was being constructed circa 1848-1861 by Lancelot and Wilkinson Dent. Thompson wrote about pipes, taps, cisterns and reservoirs, boilers, drains, hard and soft water, hot and cold water, and more. It indicates the use of plumbing, the location of pipes and how they connected to other plumbing equipment, and types of water access in interior spaces including sculleries, bathrooms, water closets, washstands, and butler's pantries. Thompson also noted pipes feeding exterior water supplies like for the cattle's trough, the conservatory, and fountain. Thompson included several pen-and-ink sketches of floorplans and maps of the property to illustrate the location of pipes, as well as a pencil sketch of the house's façade.

The volume has a green printed cover with an image of a man and woman standing beside each other in an interior space, labelled "The Squire and his Servant." Various "Arithmetical Tables" are printed on the back cover, including a multiplication table and various conversion tables.

This album contains gem tintype photographs of men and women of various ages, including young adults and children. One tintype shows a dog sitting on a chair.

This album (8.5cm x 8.5cm) contains 69 tinted gem tintype photographs of men and women of various ages, plus an image of a dog sitting on a chair. Each tintype is placed four to a page, in oval windows about 2.2cm high and 1.7cm across. A few of the people pictured wore accessories such as scarves and hats, and the men, who outnumber the women, appear with facial hair in numerous styles. The album's red leather cover has a raised geometric design on the front and back and previously included a metal clasp.

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.