Emma's Autograph Book...

Dear Diary,

I haven't been able to concentrate on making photographs since the Paris tragedy.  I've dug into my archives for today's post.  This is the cover of my great grandmother's autograph book and one of my favorite pages.  It was written in 1869 when Emma was 16 years old.  The writing is of course amazing but it is the penned bird that use to fascinate me.  I remember laying tracing paper on top of it when I was a young girl and duplicating the delicate lines.

What I love so much about  Gramma Emma's autograph books is that she allowed her children to write in them as well.  The extra photo shows my grandmother's contribution and I've always thought in funny that she addressed her mother as "Emma".  I would never have even considered calling my mother Jane!

Autograph books, like writing in a "fine hand", are a thing of the past but I use to make autograph books with my elementary students in June each year so they could collect the names of their fellow classmates and teachers.  Maybe I will make a book and collect signatures and messages from my family members.  That would be a good winter project.