Album

Date1824-1828 (range of the entires in the album).

Artist/Maker Helen Maria Arnold

OriginAmerica, New York (probably); found in Virginia, Fairfax

MediumGold-tooled, hand-bound leather book with marbled paper endpapers and wove paper pages.

DimensionsClosed book: 9 3/4" x 7 7/8" x 7/8" (24.8 cm x 20.0 cm. x 0.9 cm.)

Credit LineGift of James S. Hollins, Jr.

Object number1992.1003.3

DescriptionA gold-tooled, leather-bound book with marbled endpapers and 258 pages, many of which are blank. Individual entries include verses, lines, and drawings executed in pencil, ink, and watercolor contributed by a variety of artists and writers. Some of the drawings are signed by the owner of the book whose name appears on the front cover.
Page Descriptions:
Note: not counted as pages below are several spaces where pages, once intact, were cut out, leaving only strips near the spine
Page 1: Large looping script letters in pencil appear to read "Mrs H M/Arnold"
Page 2: A printed poem titled "On Slavery" is cut out and pasted onto the page.
Page 3: blank
Page 4: Two sections of a watercolor floral wreath curve over the top and round the bottom of a 12-line verse written in ink in script and signed "Mary Smart/1st mo: 23rd 1824." [In the righthand margin, another hand has written in pencil beside the name and date inscription "= 115 yrs."]
Page 5: blank
Page 6: A grisaille drawing of an open scroll encloses a 16-line verse titled "The Keepsake" written in ink in script that is signed "Lucy Smart/1st Mo. 23rd 1824."
Page 7: blank
Page 8: At the top is an 8-line verse in script in ink titled "The last Rose of Winter" and signed "E. E. Smart/1st mo 27th. 1824-".
In the lower half of the page is an untitled 8-line verse signed "E. E. Smart".
Page 9: blank
Page 10: In ink in script are 24 untitled lines of verse. These are continued on the next page.
Page 11: In ink in script are a continuation of the preceding, 8 lines of verse signed "Hanh F Smart/1st Mo 23rd 1824".
Page 12: has two swatches of blue silk picot ribbon glued onto the page near the spine.
Page 13: blank
Page 14: has a swatch of white silk ribbon with a fancy edging glued onto the page near the spine.
Pages 15-6: blank
Page 17: a watercolor rendering of a blooming daisy plant, including its roots
Page 18: In ink in script is a 20-line verse titled "To an early Daisy" and signed (in a grisaille drawing of a plume with flowers) "A. M. Bosworth. 1824".
Page 19: In ink in script is an 18-line verse titled "Cato's Soliloquy on the Immortality of the Soul" and signed "T. C L[yon?]/Pokepsie [sic] 2mo 8th 1825". In the lower right corner in another hand in pencil is "117 yrs-".
Between pp. 19 and 20 is a small strip of paper bearing pen and ink sketches of men and an American flag on one side and a man, woman, and children and a long spear on the other.
Pages 20-1: blank
Page 22: At the top, a hand-drawn ink sketch of a seated, bearded man has been cut out and pasted onto the p. above the signature "John F. Smith pinx." Beneath is the ink script inscription "Adam.-Dear Master, I can go no farther: O, I die for food!" In the lower half of the page are 5 lines identifying the above as from Shakespeare's As You Like It.
Page 23: blank
Page 24: At top is a pencil drawing of a Gothic-style window in a wall titled "Lanfry Court, Pembrokeshire" and signed "L Smart/4th Mo. 1824." In the lower half of the page are 19 lines of verse in script in ink titled "Zephyr & Twilight". The verses are continued on the next page.
Page 25: 5 lines of verse in script in ink, a continuation of the above.
Page 26: In ink in script are 16-lines of verse titled "The Nightingale" and signed "L. T-" [or L. L-?]/Poughkeepsie."
Page 27: blank
Page 28: At the top is a watercolor rendering of a forlorn woman and, below, are 4 lines of verse in ink in script.
Page 29: blank
Page 30: In ink in script are 20 lines of untitled verse signed "A. R. S. New York. Decem. 1824"
Page 31: blank
Page 32: At the top in ink in backhand script are 4 lines signed "H. F. S." Below this is a watercolor rendering of a brown leaf on a tree twig and, below this, is 20 lines of verse in ink in Gothic-style script signed Hannah F Smart./Poughkeepsie 8th Moth 1824."
Page 33: A watercolor spray of foliage and blue flowers appears at the top. Below in ink in script are 30 lines of verse titled "Forget Me Not" and signed "H. F. Smart/Poughkeepsie 1824-".
Page 34: In ink in Gothic-style script at the top is "The Traveller." Below this are 20 lines of verse signed "S. A. Taylor-/Poughkeepsie 1824-"
Page 35: At top is a watercolor rendering of foliage and a pink flower. Below, in tiny, hand-written block letters, are 24 lines of verse and, written vertically to the side in the same style lettering, are 2 lines from the Bible. The verses are signed "S. A. Taylor/Poughkeepsie Augt 12th 1824."
Page 36: blank
Page 37: In ink in script are 24-lines of verse titled "The Light House" and signed "J.W [?] N.York 1824."
Page 38: blank
Page 39: In ink in script are 14 lines of untitled verse signed "J. W [?] N.York 1824."
Page 40: blank
Page 41: In ink in script are 16 lines of verse signed "J T [?]/N York 1824".
Page 42: In ink in script are 5 lines of verse titled "Youth" and signed "A. M. Fowler. Poughkeepsie. 2 mo[?] 9th 1825."
Page 43: In ink in script are, at top, 7 lines denoted as from "Shakespeare" and, at bottom, 4 lines from the same, all signed "S. T [?] Kips Bay-1st M0 [?] 23th [sic] 1825."
Page 44: blank
Page 45: In ink in script are 12 lines of untitled verse signed "T. F S. Dec 25. 1824.-.- to a cluster of Snowdrops-.-"
Page 46: blank
Page 47: In ink in script are 8 lines of untitled verse signed "H. E S. Dec. 22d 1824".
Page 48: In ink in script are 4 lines titled "History of Man" and signed "Benjn Smart".
Page 49: A watercolor rendering of a lyre and open book appear at top, followed by 14 lines of verse signed "D. A [?] S [?] Decemr 27. 1824."
Page 50: blank
Page 51: In ink in script are 16 lines of verse titled "Rosemary/'There's rosemary--that's for remembrance'". The verses are continued on the next page.
Page 52: In ink in script are 8 lines of verse signed "N York.1st month, 14th 1825/Sarah Thompson."
Page 53: In ink in script are 26 lines of verse plus 2 of an explanatory note titled "Origin of the word Album" and signed "Benja Smart,/Pokepsie."
Page 54: blank
Page 55: In ink in script are 24 lines of verse titled "Stanzas written on a Summer's Evening" and signed "Josh Smart".
Page 56: blank
Page 57: In ink in script are 24 lines of untitled verse that continue onto the next page.
Page 58: In ink in script are 4 lines of verse signed "Thos C. Smart/Pokepsie 2Mo 9th 1825". Below this are 12 lines of untitled verse signed "Ibid".
Page 59: Watercolor renderings of 6 butterflies or moths.
Page 60: blank
Page 61: In ink in script are 24 lines of verse titled "A Poet's Nobles't Theme". The verse continues onto the next page.
Pages 62-3: Continuation of the above verse, with 26 lines of verse on each page. The verse continues onto the next page.
Page 64: 4 lines of verse signed "E. E. Smart 2nd mo 11th 1825." At the bottom of the page in ink in script is "To E. M. A." followed by 4 lines of verse signed "E. E. S."
Pages 65-6: blank
Page 67: A watercolor rendering of a man with a pack approaching a dwelling signed "Helen Maria Arnold pinx" and below which is written in ink in script 10 lines of verse identified at bottom as "Robert Burn's Cotter's Saturday night".
Pages 68-70: blank
Page 71: Watercolor renderings of 3 moths
Page 72: blank
Page 73: A watercolor rendering of a moth, below which is written in ink in script 11 lines of untitled unsigned verse.
Page 74: blank
Page 75: Watercolor renderings of 4 moths
Page 76: blank
Page 77: In ink in script are 8 lines of untitled unsigned verse
Page 78: blank
Page 79: In ink in script are 16 lines of untitled verse signed "R. A V".
Page 80: blank
Page 81: In ink in script are 26 lines of untitled unsigned verse and, below these, 4 lines of verse credited to "Burns."
Page 82: blank
Page 83: A watercolor rendering of a floral spray
Pages 84-6: blank
Page 87: In ink in script are 14 lines of verse in Portuguese [?] titled "Soneto" and signed "Limao Jo[r]ge da Silva [?]/30 de Maio de 1826".
Page 88: blank
Page 89: In ink in script are 15 lines in Latin titled "Ad Helenam, aequabititatem animi laudenten" and signed, at right, "Excerpta Horatiana" and, at left, "J. F. S. Jme [?] 2 [?] 182[?]".
Page 90: blank
Page 91: In ink are 2 lines in [Hebrew?]
Page 92: blank
Page 93: In ink in script in French are 12 lines of verse titled "L' Amitie".
Page 94: blank
Page 95: a watercolor rendering of flowers
Pages 96-7: blank
Page 98: In ink in backhand script are 7 lines of untitled unsigned verse.
Page 99: blank
Page 100: watercolor rendering of flowers signed in pencil "H F S"[?].
Page 101: blank
Page 102: a watercolor rendering of two beetles on a daisy stem
Page 103: blank
Page 104: In ink in script are 9 lines titled "Helen Maria Arnold" and signed "G. P. A. [?]/Poughkeepsie, Oct. 1826."
Page 105: blank
Page 106: In ink in script are 27 lines of untitled verse signed "S. B. C."
Page 107: blank
Page 108: In ink in script are 32 lines of verse titled "Hundred Hearts-by Mas Remans [?]."
Page 109: blank
Page 110: At top in ink in script are 8 lines of untitled verse signed "Laura." Below are 8 lines of verse signed illegibly and, below this, 3 and 6 lines signed illegibly.
Page 111: blank
Page 112: pencil drawing of a church signed "H M Arnold".
Page 113: blank
Page 114: In ink in script are 12 lines of untitled verse signed twice "Laura" and dated "1828."
Pages 115-7: blank
Page 118: watercolor rendering of a blooming cyclamen plant
Pages 119-121: blank
Page 122: an unsigned landscape in pencil
Page 123: blank
Between pp. 123 and 124 is a detached sheet showing an unfinished watercolor rendering of a vase of flowers; this sheet has only a pencil squiggle on the reverse
Pages 124-7: blank
Page 128: an unsigned pencil landscape
Pages 129-133: blank
Page 134: an ink sketch of a rustic ruin, below which are written in ink in script 5 unsigned lines.
Pages 135-9: blank
Page 140: a watercolor rendering of a flower spray signed in pencil "H F S".
Pages 141-3: blank
Page 144: a watercolor rendering of a girl in a red hood, below which is written in ink in script 4 lines titled "Little Red riding Hood.-"
Pages 145-7: blank
Page 148: In ink in script are 8 lines of verse in [French?] titled "Le Donne" and credited to "Ariosto Cant XX.2." and signed at lower left "[I. F. S.?]/Aug. 17. 1828".
Page 149: blank
Page 150: an unfinished watercolor sketch of flowers
Pages 151-5: blank
Page 156: an unsigned pencil view of a castle-like building in a
landscape
Pages 157-9: blank
Page 160: an unsigned watercolor rendering of a child with a dog
Pages 161-3: blank
Page 164: blank except for a tiny ink line drawing of a face in the center of the page
Page 165: blank
Page 166: 4 lines of verse in Spanish signed at bottom "I. F. S./Aug 17. 1828".
Page 167: In ink in script are 9 lines signed "From the `Forest Sanctuary.'" At lower left is "E. E. [or C. C.?] 1827".
Page 168: blank
Page 169: an ink sketch of the upper body of a gremlin or satyr
Page 170: blank
Page 171: In ink in script ar 15 lines of verse titled "To--" and signed "C.C. 9 mo. 1828."
Pages 172-179: blank
Page 180: an unsigned ink sketch of a half-timbered building
Pages 181-258 [end of book]: blank

Some artists unidentified.

Label TextThe album may have been compiled by Helen Maria Arnold, who lived in the vicinity of Poughkeepsie, New York (see "Provenance"). The drawings, verses, etc. comprising the contents were executed by numerous people, with Arnold herself contributing only an occasional piece.
MarkingsTooled on the cover is "ALBUM./HELEN MARIA ARNOLD/1824". The album contents have not been completely transcribed. (See "Description," where some wording is given under "Page Descriptions"). Many individual pages contain the watermark "S & A BUTLER/U S" [see n. 1].
ProvenanceThis album was acquired by Hollins (CWF's source) along with a scrapbook (acc. no. 1992.1003.2). The two books were found together in the mid 1980s in the attic of a house in Fairfax, Virginia. The house was owned by a Mrs. Cox (now deceased); her husband (then deceased) had been a good friend of Hollins's father. In cleaning out her attic after her husband's death, Mrs. Cox discovered the books and gave them to Hollins. The books had no personal meaning for Mrs. Cox. She thought that perhaps the Helen Maria Arnold named on the cover of the album was some relation of her deceased husband's since he was from New York state.