Autograph Album Kept at Valparaiso, Indiana
- Valparaiso, IN , 1882
Valparaiso, IN, 1882. Very Good. Chiefly Valparaiso, IN: 1882. Small oblong octavo (10.5x17.5cm.); pictorial paper-covered boards printed offset in black with embossed gilt elements, all edges metallic silver; [100]pp.; title page printed "Autographs" in gilt, otherwise blank leaves filled in manuscript to completion. Boards a bit soiled and scuffed at margins, textblock also a bit finger-soiled from use, else a Very Good copy in excellent condition considering the rather cheap materials of the binding and the heavy use of the album.
Lovely autograph album presented to Ida Tinsley of Columbus, Indiana, on Christmas Day, 1882, by her cousins Tillie and Minnie. However, given that some of the interior inscriptions are dated mid-1882 we surmise this was actually presented in 1881. At the time Tinsley was studying art at the Northern Indiana Normal School (later renamed Valparaiso University in 1906) and the album is well-filled with entries by her fellow classmates: we count no fewer than 95 entries, mostly accompanied by a sentimental poem, though others are adorned with illustrations and four entries are made with a calligraphic flourish (mostly in the shape of a dove). An excellent example in a beautiful American binding.
Lovely autograph album presented to Ida Tinsley of Columbus, Indiana, on Christmas Day, 1882, by her cousins Tillie and Minnie. However, given that some of the interior inscriptions are dated mid-1882 we surmise this was actually presented in 1881. At the time Tinsley was studying art at the Northern Indiana Normal School (later renamed Valparaiso University in 1906) and the album is well-filled with entries by her fellow classmates: we count no fewer than 95 entries, mostly accompanied by a sentimental poem, though others are adorned with illustrations and four entries are made with a calligraphic flourish (mostly in the shape of a dove). An excellent example in a beautiful American binding.