A Victorian personal notebook or journal and collection of organized quotes, observations, and insights from various literary and spiritual sources compiled 150 years ago for future reference and reflection. About 58 carefully hand-inscribed, laid out, and spaced pages. Original Victorian srcaps, fernware designs, penmanship, pressed flowers, and literary quotations - many signed and dated and many located in the Spalding area of Lincolnshire. Including, for example, Miss Clara Brummitt, who later became mistress in 1909 of St. John the Baptist, Hawthorn Bank, erected in 1875 for 227 children. 200 x 165 mm. Contemporary emerald green cloth with panelled, mitred upper cover with 'ALBUM' in gilt within decorative ornamental corner-pieces. Covers slightly rubbed. Given that the cloth is this period and colour, there is a possibility that it may have been treated with chemicals that include arsenic. Current findings suggest that the publication date range for volumes containing arsenic is 1830 to 1880 and that such books are bound in green cloth or green leather. Most green book covers from this period do not contain arsenic (while books containing arsenic are green, not all green books contain arsenic). My personal precautionary suggestions include:
- Use gloves when handling.
- Do not eat, smoke, or touch your face until you have completed handling the album and thoroughly washed your hands.
- Keep the album away from children and pets.