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Collection

Emily A. Bellair autograph album, 1861-1878 (majority within 1861-1864)

1 volume

The Emily A. Bellair autograph album contains signatures and poetry of many of Emily's acquaintances in the early 1860s. Emily Bellair was from Detroit.

The Emily A. Bellair autograph album contains signatures and poetry of many of Emily's acquaintances throughout the early 1860s. She received the book, whose decorative cover bears the title "Wreaths of Friendship," from W. E. Gentle, who inscribed a two-page letter proclaiming the pair's friendship. Family members also contributed autographs and poetry, including several poems dedicated specifically to Emily that explored themes of friendship and parting. Her brother, Albert F. R. Arndt, wrote a poem from Cairo, Illinois, after he had "gone off to the seat of War." (March 16, 1862). The final page contains a copy of "Auld Lang Syne," as well as several shorter poems that are darker in mood than the other verses.

The autograph album also contains six black and white illustrations:
  • "Escape of Carrara"
  • "Wreaths of Friendship," depicting a ship in a stormy sea
  • "The Bird Trap"
  • "The Bride"
  • "Kishna"
  • Unlabeled: A scene with a tree-lined pond