Bound Sketchbook Collection
Bound Sketchbook Collection
Folder 1 Unknown artist. [Sketchbook of 11 technical drawings]; Pen, Ink and Wash. (10 x 8 in) (25 ½ x 20 ½ cm). No date. [Old number: PIW 62] Enlarge cover
Five signatures laced together with a red string. They are labeled “Figure 1” and “Figure 2” repeatedly throughout; the images are of metal of steel items. One appears to be an attachment for a device, one is of a gun, one is of a gear, several are of pairs of shears. The images look similar to technical drawing of a diagram in Box 8 Folder 15. [Note: Selected Drawings are of pages 4, 6 and 10.]
Folder 2 Johnson, Olive (1801-1877). [Sketchbook of 3 drawings ]; Pencil. (8 ¼ x 6 ¼ in) (21 x 16 cm). No date. [Old number: P 59] Enlarge cover
Sketchbook with one signature and several pages. There is one loose drawing of a portrait of a man looking left. The first image is titled “1st Lesson” and features a house in a landscape. The only other image in the book is a pencil drawing of two flowers. Note: item removed from the Cheever-Wheeler family papers in the manuscript department of the AAS. [Note: Selected Drawings are of pages 1, 2 and 3.]
Folder 3 Carter, Jarvis. [Drawing Book for Copies with 8 pages of drawings]; Pencil. (8 ¼ x 10 5/8 in) (21 x 27 cm). ca. 1860. [Old number: PIW 63] Enlarge cover
Filled sketchbook intended for drawing with interleaved tissue pages for copies. On the front is printed, “Drawing Book for Copies”. Under “The Property of” is penciled in “Jarvis Carter.” The book was made by H.F. March & Co., Manufacturing Stationers and Importers, 17 and 19 Cornhill, Boston. Included sketches are of the exterior of a house, a well, a doorway, a barn, several landscapes, animals, birds, and a church. Note: BIB ID: 417353 [Note: Selected Drawings are of 2, 7 and 8.]
Folder 4 Merritt Family. [3 Loose drawings and engravings ]; Watercolor, pencil, pen and engravings. (5 ¼ x 3 in) (13 ½ x 8 cm). ca. 1837. Gift of Wayne T. Wellus, August 6, 1938. [Old number: P 6] No cover
Not bound, four loose pages of images. There is one watercolor, one pencil, two pen and four engravings and a poem. The watercolor is of a bearded figure, possibly biblical, colored in green, pink and black. The upper left hand portion is cut away. “Drawn by Father in his College days” is written next to the image. “S. J. J. Merritt from Jerome. Jan. 1st. 1837” in pen on verso. The pencil is a drawing of a cracked urn. Initials, “W.J” in the bottom left hand corner; on the reverse is an engraving of a beehive. The pen is a profile of a man; annotated underneath is “Father” “Long ago” item is mounted on green paper and says, “Drawn by Father”. The final folder is of an urn drawn in pen labeled, “W.J.” and “Father’s Drawing”. Underneath this is a poem “To a Lady. With an antique crystal chalice.” Two engravings on verso are of a steam ship and an engraved portrait of William Henry Harrison. [Note: Selected Drawings are of 1, 2 and 3.]
Folder 5 Otis, Bass (1784-1861). [Sketchbook with 3 original sketches]; Pencil and engraving. (7 ¾ x 9 ¾ in) (20 x 25 cm). 1845. [Old number: P 66] Enlarge cover
Sketchbook containing six pages, three blank; the book has a red exterior and blue interior cover; pencil drawings and engraving are mounted on the pages of the sketchbook. Drawing one is a drawing of a man in profile facing left. The lower right hand corner is signed “B. Otis 1845.” Engraving on the opposite page depicts a young girl rocking a baby in a cradle. Drawing two is a pencil drawing, with minimal shading, of an older man; it is marked “Peter Wager Senior.” A small piece is torn over the name making it illegible. The drawing is signed “B. Otis” in the lower right hand corner. A news clipping is pasted next to the drawing, on the left, and details the career of Bass Otis. Drawing three is a portrait of a man. The shading is focused on the face of the subject, and is more suggestive in rendering his garments. It is signed “B. Otis 1845” in the lower right hand corner and the date “June 26th 1881” is written in pencil on the previous page. Note: letter of acquisition with the sketchbook indicates that they are taken from a contemporary scrapbook with a news clipping about Otis. AAS also has the Bass Otis account book for the years 1815-1854. Call number: Mss. Dept., Octavo vols. “O”, Misc. mss. boxes “O”. [Note: Selected Drawings are of 1, 2 and 3.]
Folder 6 Carleton, Alfred (1791-1875). [Three sketchbooks with 113 pages of images]; Pen, ink and watercolor. (6 ¾ x 4 ¼ in) (17 ½ x 11 cm). ca. 1808. [Old number: No old number] Enlarge cover
Illustrated picture bible, also sometimes referred to as a rebus or hieroglyphic bible. Book one has Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles and Ezra; it is 64 pages total. Book two is a continuation of Genesis; it is 34 pages total. Book three is of Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes; pagination starts 65 and ends [79]. Handwritten text is interspersed between hand-drawn and hand-colored illustrations; annotations of the illustrations are located at the bottom of many of the pages. Also see Box 36 in the Drawings Collection. [Note: Selected Drawings are of 42 from the second book, 7 and 12.]
Folder 7 Carleton, Alfred (1791-1875). [Two sketchbooks with 92 pages of images]; Pen, ink and watercolor. (6 ¾ x 4 ¼ in) (17 ½ x 11 cm). ca. 1808. [Old number: No old number] Enlarge cover
Illustrated picture bible, also sometimes referred to as a rebus or hieroglyphic bible. Book one has Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, Baruch, Machabees, St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. John, Acts, Romans, Corinthians, Colossians, Galatians, Ephesians, Phillippians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, Peter, Jude, and Revelations; it is 44 pages total. Book two contains Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkum, Phariah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi; it is 48 pages total. Handwritten text is interspersed between hand-drawn and hand-colored illustrations; annotations of the illustrations are located at the bottom of many of the pages. Also see Box 36 in the Drawings Collection. [Note: Selected Drawings are of 7, 9 and 11 from the second book.]
Folder 8 Wilder, G.B. [Sketchbook with 9 drawings]; Pencil. (3 5/8 x 5 ¾ in) (9 x 14 ½ cm). ca. November 29, 1860. [Old number: P 1] Enlarge cover
Sketchbook of 32 pages, 22 blank pages, 9 drawings. All pages are buff colored. The exterior is black with a brown edge and there is an elastic cord that secures the sketchbook; includes views of the Hudson River, White Mountains, Susquehanna River and others.
Drawing one is a pencil drawing showing people on the riverbank. There is a gazebo and a bench in the foreground. A woman with parasol and a man with a top hat are on the lower left near the bench. Two sailboats are out on the water and a steamboat is in the background. This is a slopping mountain on the right that creates a kind of cove. “On the Hudson” is written under the drawing. On the reverse side of the drawing “On the Hudson River, Near Newburg, N.Y. U.S. of A.” Drawing two is a landscape drawing which shows a low house in the lower left. The center of the drawing is bisected by a fence that divides the yard from the surrounding trees and the distant hills. The reverse side notes “Kiasarge [sic] from top of the house in North Conway N. H. U.S. of A.” and below this are the words “Elms Skylight”. Drawing three is a scene on a lake. There is a man in a canoe and a sailboat. The banks of the river flank either side of the drawing and peaked mountains are pictured in the distance. The reverse side designates that as a “View from Walkers Pond Conway N.H. U.S. Kiasarge [sic] in the distance – 1860”. Drawing four is a view from on the side of one of the peaks. The ground is rather uneven and covered in grass and bushes. A path in the edge of the peak can be seen, and two figures, perhaps a man in a top hat and a woman in a dress, are shown. The two distant peaks can be seen beyond. The one on the left seems to have a building on its peak. “Kiasarge [sic] from Bartlett N. H. U.S. of A.” is written on the reverse side. Drawing five is of “Lake Winnipiseogee [sic] and Belnap [sic] Mountains N.H. U.S. of A.”. In the foreground is the rocky shore of the lake, showing some trees at the left. The bank curves around on the right forming a small inlet. A pair in a boat are pictured rowing on the lake, not a far distance from the shore. There is also a sailboat in the distance. The Belknap Mountains can be seen in the distance. Drawing six shows a view of a mountainous landscape from a high vantage point. In the foreground is a tree to the right and out beyond are rows of trees and foliage that begin to meet up with the hills. On the reverse side Wilder has written, “In the Vall[e]y of Wyoming, Penn. U.S. of A.” Drawing seven is labeled, “On the Susquehanna”. This drawing shows a man seated on a log in the foreground, to the right. He is wearing a hat and overalls. He is looking out on the river, where there is a sailboat. You can see the rest of the bank behind the sailboat in the distance. The reverse side further clarifies the drawing, “On the Susquehanna Penn. U.S. of A.”. Drawing eight is also on the Susquehanna. Wilder has indicated that this is “Susquehanna at Nanticoke Penn. U.S. of A.” On the right are three people in a row boat. There isn't a shore in the foreground, just banks that can be seen in the distance, jutting out into either side of the river. Mountains are depicted on the left side and out beyond the banks on the right side. A sailboat is making its way down the river. Drawing nine is of a town from an elevated position. Wilder shows the road dividing the houses he has depicted. Several look like farm houses and a church seems to be shown, in the distance close to the road. Mountains can be seen beyond the houses and the surrounding wooded area. On the reverse side, Wilder has written, “Looking up the Road towards Mt Washington. North Conway N.H. U.S. of A.” [Note: Selected Drawings are of 1, 6 and 7.]
Folder 9 Coffin, Edward F. [Sketchbook with 25 drawings]; Pencil. (5 ¾ x 9 in) (14 ½ x 22 ½ cm). 1890-6. Gift of Edward F. Coffin, August 10, 1946. [Old number: P 7] Enlarge cover
A mostly filled sketchbook labeled with engraved “Sketchbook” on its light brown cover. Each page contains sketches, mostly landscapes, but also some of animals and building interiors and exteriors. Such sketches include: the Sterling Camp Ground gate surrounded by what appear to be photographs, the Station at Sterling Junction, a boat on waves, Hermitage Pond (now in Green Hill Park), a Birds-eye View of North Works, American Steel & Wire Company in Worcester, an unfinished sky view, the Chapel in Indian Hill Cemetery in Middletown, Connecticut, a landscape view in Middletown, a Monument in Hope Cemetery, the top of a Black-walnut headboard, the Old Mansion-house at Middletown, Connecticut, Coal-bridge docked on the Connecticut River in Middletown Connecticut, the interior of a college room at Wesleyan University, a “character sketch” of a man with a pipe, a tomb stone in an old cemetery in Middletown, Connecticut, an unfinished headstone and architectural drawing, “Fritz” a pug, a landscape on Washacum Lake in Sterling, Massachusetts, an Old Farm House, Sterling Junction, Mount Wachusett as seen from Sterling Camp Ground, an old cemetery in Middletown, Connecticut, an unfinished landscape, a scene on Washington Street in Middletown, Connecticut, and a decorative drawing. [Note: Selected Drawings are of 1, 13 and 17.]
Folder 10 Treadwell, Lucy Elizabeth Rogers (1826-). [Sketchbook with 12 pages of drawings]; Pencil. (9 x 11 ½ in) (23 x 29 ½ cm). No date. [Old number: P 54] Enlarge cover
A twelve page sketchbook, each numbered on the verso. The book has a blue exterior with two lead-in pages at the front and back. Each page contains several small pencil drawings, primarily of landscapes, houses, buildings or trees although some feature images of people which are captioned. Treadwell may be following the compositions and subject in Benjamin H. Coe’s Drawing Book of Trees (1841); in AAS collections call number: Y160 C672 D841. On page four is a drawing of a man running to catch a departing stage-coach along with the caption, “Taking the Stage. Stop! Stop!”. Page 6 features a house by a river, adjoined by a bridge and in the lower right-hand corner the artists has written, “End of first term.” Page 8 features six small drawings, three of which are trees, two of which are labeled, “Poplar” and “Elm”. There are also two drawings of people. One of a young man wearing a mortar board and holding a cane. The caption reads, “A Harvard Student”. The second drawing is of a young woman seated at a piano. She is not looking at the sheets of music in front of her, but rather at the viewer. The caption under this image reads “A Belle of 1844.” Pages 9-12 all contain drawings of trees with accompanying labels such as Poplar, Elm, Oak, Beech, and White Pine. [Note: Selected Drawings are of 3, 7 and 8.]
Folder 11 Nickerson, Eveline W. (1841-). [Sketchbook with 16 drawings]; Pencil. (8 5/8 x 11 ¼ in) (22 x 29 cm). ca. 1858. Gift of Halsey and Nancy Griswold, 2006. [Old number: No old number] Enlarge cover
A mostly filled sketchbook of 24 pages, 8 blank pages at the back; each page has a tissue paper overlay of blue, green or pale pink. The sketches included are mostly landscapes with people; most likely the images were copied from a drawing book. The cover has a marbleized pattern of brown, pink and white. Inside cover is signed: “Eveline W. Nickerson. American Asylum, Hartford, Conn. Oct 9th 1858. It is Saturday A.M.” Eveline W. Nickerson was born on May 24, 1841 and was married to Edson Hulett whose sketchbook is folder 12; both were born deaf mute. Drawing one is two images, one of a triangular building with one window and a door, along with a tree, there is minimal shading; the second a drawing of a house on a slight hill with a fence and trees surrounding it. Drawing two is a finely detailed drawing of a door in a wall that is the entrance-way to the house beyond. The drawing is dated “Oct 30th 1858” at the lower right. Drawing three is a back-view of a house that is up against a hillside, showing the ruins in the distance. The pencil drawing is dated “Nov 6 1858” in the lower right hand corner. Drawing four is an image of a country house with a thatched roof. A woman sits on the front step; she is wearing a kerchief on her head and a dress. Drawing five is a church that is surrounded by a marshy moat; there is bridge on the left side that leads into the side of the church. The drawing is dated “Dec 4 1858” and “EA 1858” in the lower right hand corner. Drawing six is a drawing of a landscape showing a building on the right that resembles a tower, and people on the roof. A person on horseback is near the tower. Adjacent to the tower structure is the landing that leads down to the river. Shown on the river are a man standing and paddling a boat that contains a woman and a child. Behind some bushes and trees to the left the mast of a sailboat can be seen. In the distance is a mountainous landmass, where there are houses on the riverbank and a castle-like structure on the far right peak. Drawing seven features a low stone bridge in the foreground that spans a river. Beyond the bridge on the left is a house with a thatched roof and attached barn. Trees and foliage surround the house and river to the right. Drawing eight is of a larger wooden house and its smaller neighbors along a riverbank. Two figures, probably two men, are in a boat on the right. One is standing and rowing, the other is seated; birds fly in the distance. [Note: one of the sketches is similar to Box 9 Folder 9] Drawing nine is of brush, trees and bushes are in the foreground of this drawing, which depicts a large Colonial house that sits on this marshy body of water. A bridge flanked by two turreted towers marks the entranceway to the estate. A ruin of a tower stands to the right. Drawing ten is a seascape showing a sailboat that is being tossed violently by a wave. Several other sailboats are floating calmly in the distance. A distant land mass seems to indicate that this is some sort of cove, or strait. At the bottom of the drawing it is dated “February 26th, 1859 On Saturday.” [Note: This image is very similar to the drawing on Page 5 in Edson Hulett's sketchbook] Drawing eleven shows a difference in style from the previous 10; here Nickerson uses very little shading and her lines are very clear and exacted with minimal crosshatching. The scene shows a house with a porch that is near a well. People seem to be coming and going from the well, as a man bends fill a pail while a mother and daughter retreat down the lane. A rocky mountain stands in the background. Drawing twelve is of a landscape which is much small upon the page, and Nickerson has even indicated borders to the drawing, which she has not done previously. [Note: the drawing is most certainly a copy of the engraving found in with Page 10 of Edson's Hulett's sketchbook. The drawing is incomplete] Drawing thirteen is a large farmhouse with a vast fenced in yard is shown. A woman is outside washing laundry in a large bucket. Drawing fourteen is a sea scene shows a sailboat with two men in it, headed out to sea. The both are wearing hats and seem to be holding the tiller; to the left of them is another sailboat in which there seems to be three figures. Behind them is a jetty with a lighthouse on the end. Two other sailboats are in the distance on the right. Drawing fifteen is of a town with several farmhouses that are in front of a windmill. A larger house stands in the background to the left. Drawing sixteen features a pond in the foreground on the outskirts of a village. The road leading in, towards a tower and buildings, is on the left and in the middle ground, on the right, is a house, perhaps with a shop next to it. [Note: an engraving of Lewis Weld is tipped into the back of Nickerson's sketchbook. The print was engraved by J. C. Buttre. Mr. Weld is shown in a three-quarter length portrait. He is wearing a bowtie and a collared button-down jacket. His hairline is receding is white.] [Note: Selected Drawings are of 4, 7 and 8.]
Folder 12 Hulett, Edson. (1841-). [Sketchbook with 11 drawings ]; Pencil. (8 ½ x 11 ¼ in) (21 ½ x 28 ½ cm). ca. 1858. Gift of Halsey and Nancy Griswold, 2006. [Old number: No old number] Enlarge cover
A sketchbook containing pencil drawings and one engraving on 24 pages, thirteen are blank. Many of the drawings feature landscapes with buildings and people. Each page has a tissue paper overlay of either blue, green or pale pink. The cover has a marbleized pattern of brown, pink and white. The verso of the cover reads: “Nov 6 – 1858. Edson Hulett Hartford, Conn.” Drawing one shows a scene with a man fishing on the shores of a river; beyond a gate at the left there is another man approaching with a fishing rod. Drawing two is a pencil sketch of a scene on a farm, featuring a man seated on a log in conversation with a standing woman carrying a bucket. There is a basin for feed or water in the left foreground and the farmhouse is pictured in the background along with a figure with a cane who is approaching the pair. Drawing three is a winter scene, showing a farm house with a turreted building behind it. Some scattered rocks and logs are in the foreground and a stone wall covered in snow separates the path to the house. Drawing four features seven ships out in the sea. The water appears choppy, plumes of smoke and a floating barrel in the lower right might suggest that some sort of battle is occurring. Drawing five is another sea scene. A large wave appears to be lifting and nearly capsizing a sailboat in the center of the drawing. There are several other sailboats off in the distance along with landmass in the background. Drawing six is of a man seated on a rock and/or a suitcase. He seems to be traveling or perhaps elderly as he carries a walking stick and wears a hat. His clothes are rather worn and patched. “I will try again” is written in the upper right hand corner. Drawing seven is a detailed scene showing a view from a harbor up into a village and the castle atop a hill in the distance. There are two people who appear to be unloading the contents of their ship at the dock. The thatched buildings and stone village battlements seem to indicate that this is a scene somewhere in Europe. The drawing is signed in the lower left, “E. 3 E.” Drawing eight shows a run-down barn that is attached to a farmhouse. The thatch is falling from the beams and the interior of the barn is messy. A man carrying a scythe is approaching from the left. Drawing nine is a portrait of a women’s head and shoulders. She is gazing up and to the left, dreamily. Her hair is pulled back and she wears earrings. It is signed in the lower right, “drawing by E. Hulett.” Drawing ten has marked lines on it, in preparation for a drawing, but there is none; Hulett has instead inserted a 5 x 8 inches engraving into this page. The engraving is loose from the sketchbook. The engraving shows a village along a river bank. There is a person washing their clothes in the river on the lower right, two sailboats out on the water and a man paddling down the river. The number “19” is marked at the top of page, as if this has been removed from some other book. Written on the back of the engraving is the instruction “small trees must have small and fine leaves.” Drawing eleven is a three-quarter portrait of a young girl. She faces to the left, her hair is pulled back into an arrangement with braids and she wears a simple dress. Under the portrait reads: “drawn by Edson Hulett Feb 12th 1861.” [Note: Selected Drawings are of 2, 4 and 7.]
Folder 13 Unknown artist. [Sketchbook with 8 drawings ]; Pen, ink and Wash. (10 3/8 x 14 3/8 in) (26 x 36 cm). No date. [Old number: PIW 74] Enlarge cover
Nine pen, ink and wash landscapes removed from Archibald Robertson’s Elements of the Graphic Arts (New York: David Longworth, 1802). Image one features a road dividing several houses; one of the houses has a thatched roof, extended shadows highlight the ground. Image two is of a cottage alongside a body of water; there is an extended fence dividing the scene. Image three is of a small home alongside a riverbank. In the background is a bridge with two arches and a small town in the distance. Image four is of several buildings on a riverbank. There is a steepled church and a windmill in the distance. Curving alongside the house is a road and a bridge with three arches. Image five is a pen drawing of a man in a boat fishing; to his left are ruins of a tower. Image six is of a storage shed with several barns, a fence and a ladder. In the foreground are fields and water. Image seven is the exterior of a stone house with a center chimney and stone wall surround it. Image eight is of a home in s field with a large tree to the left and a fence. The final image is of a central house surrounded by a wooden fence, a path and several small structures. Note: all of the images are bordered in ink. [Note: Selected Drawings are of 1, 4 and 5.]
