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

Mary Simpson received this volume from a friend on January 1, 1856, and she invited both male and female friends to write in it. Though some pages only contain signatures, most of her friends transcribed poems, often dedicating them to Simpson. The poems largely concern friendship and morality. One is an acrostic on "Mary." Some copied poems included William Cowper's "The Task," C. D. Stuart’s "Three Angel-Spirits," and the anonymous "Good Wishes." The blank book has brown covers with gold-colored decorative designs on the front, including a castle turret and the text "Album of Affection." The book includes nine engravings of Biblical scenes, as well as scenery in Wheeling, the St. Croix River, Kaaterskill Falls, New Orleans, and Brown's Fall. The volume also has its own separate finding aid, located here: Mary J. Simpson Autograph Album.