Autograph albums provide look at past

Mary Jane Reichel Henderson of Delhi said she was first captivated by autograph albums several years ago when helping catalogue items that had been donated to the Delaware County Historical Association.

Henderson has written a book, "Forget Me Not: An Album of Memories," which contains a collection of images from autograph albums. A book signing will be held at the Delaware County Historical Association in Delhi from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

In conjunction with the book's debut, an exhibit, "Autograph Albums: Pages from the Past," is opening in the Elijah Thomas gallery on Saturday. Joan Odess, DCHA director, said the exhibit will explore sentimental keepsakes from the Victorian Era.

"We have about 25 autograph albums that will be on display and an autograph quilt from Hobart that was made in the 1800s," Odess said.

Henderson said the little albums are fun to read and offer many interesting clues to earlier times. Her collection began when she opened a box at DCHA.

"I opened a box and found five or six small books," Henderson said. "I started looking at them and I have been collecting them since then."

Most of Henderson's collection of more than 300 autograph books was found at garage sales and auctions. They were predominately from Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie counties, but she has others from New England and the Midwest.

"My first album acquisition is one of my favorites. It's a lovely plush covered Victorian album with beautiful inserts, gilded edges and a Spencerian sketch. When I hold it in my hands, I feel as though I am grasping a looking glass that reflects the owner's personal life.

"For a short time, I am a partner in this treasured keepsake, almost wishing I could stay, 'Which page would you like me to write on?' I think of the albums as a passport for my excursions back in time," Henderson said.

The albums come in an array of sizes, shapes and materials. The elaborate covers on the earlier albums, from the 1800s can be celluloid, with plush backs, embossed leather and even metal. Some were printed with lithographs of flowers and butterflies, others are religious in nature and many have steel plate engravings.

Henderson said the contents of the books are often surprising. The gems found inside include pressed flowers, pictures, newspaper clippings, calling cards, advertisements, colorful die-cuts and original artwork

The rarest albums contain hair. In one of Henderson's treasured albums, there are loops and braids of hair, carefully secured with cutout hearts.

Henderson said she loves the poems and verses. She even has books of poems specifically published for people to use when signing autograph books.

Comparing the handwriting is another fascinating aspect of the books, collectors say. The early ones have ornate, flowing Spencerian script and calligraphy and the books from the earlier part of the 1900s have examples of Palmer Method penmanship. One book was designed to have people sign their names vertically on the page. The page was then quickly folded while the ink was wet, to make an inkblot of the signature.

In her book, Henderson explores the various kinds of autograph albums, including religious, school friends, humorous and remembrances. She also looks at the history of the albums, which originated in Germany in the 16th and 17th centuries. The original albums had hand-painted coats of arms, autographs and inscriptions in Latin and German.

Interest in autograph albums spread to England and by the 19th century, they increased in popularity, and companies in England and America began printing them.

Odess said a $5,000 matching grant was obtained from the O'Connor Foundation to finance the cost of publishing the book. All proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the Delaware County Historical Association.

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Patricia Breakey can be reached at (607) 746-2894 or at stardelhi@stny.rr.com.