A Victorian Album with 78 Works comprised of album cards, hand penned poetry and verse and original art and design

Hildesheimer & Faulkner, 1880. Light wear (offset) on a few pages.. Large format album with 39 leaves with applied fine chromolithograph album cards and illustrations on both sides of the page, in other words 78 decorated pages. At the center of each page is an applied album cards surrounded by watercolor illustrations and elements relevant to the card and elaborate watercolor border designs. Some pages also include manuscript verse done for the most part in artistic writing styles. The decorations vary widely from a chain link necklace, to arching stalks of corn and a hand fan. One set of pages includes a verse with little pen and ink scenes from nature with anthropomorphic animals and a large gold man in the moon. Another set of pages has an Aesthetic movement theme with appropriate cards and a tiny pen and ink drawing with a woman and an Oscar Wilde character admiring a sunflower. A full page is dedicated to the verse "It's Vera Weel' with the appearance of a page of illuminated manuscript. Each page frame worthy, although a much stronger impact as a single work. The cards,verses and decoration are an interesting study in social history and visual culture Album measures 14 1/2" x 11 1/4" Although the creator is unknown Great Grandfather Harry 1859-1933 book of calligraphy cards and drawings. (Inventory #: 28010935)