Harper's Writing Books: Symmetrical Penmanship with Marginal Drawing Lessons, for Schools and Families | Collections | The Huntington

Harper's Writing Books: Symmetrical Penmanship with Marginal Drawing Lessons, for Schools and Families | Collections | The Huntington

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Barnes' National System of Penmanship
Visual Materials
One penmanship book entitled Barnes' National System of Penmanship, published by A.S. Barnes & Co., New York and Chicago, 1886. This book is 24 pages in length, and contains 24 exercises. Across the top of each page are sample words and numbers for copying. The remainder of each page is eleven lined sections for student copying. For example, the items across the top of page 1 are: "X, extra, Xenia, W, waves, Warner, 1". On the front cover a decorative, leafy frame surrounds title information. An image of a bee is in the lower right-hand corner of the frame. The back cover is an advertisement for the Barnes' National Sytem of Penmanship, its penmanship charts, ink, pens and popular drawing books. The inside of the front cover features four instructional images for correct body and hand positions for writing. Below this are textual instructions for correct form and position while writing. On the inside of the back cover are numbered and labeled examples of "Barnes' National System of Penmanship." All of the lessons have been completed, in ink, by a previous owner. "Laura E. Dix" (previous owner) is written in ms., in ink at the top of the front cover.
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Bartholomew's Drawing Book, New Series, Nos. 1, 2, 5
Visual Materials
Three drawing books, entitled Bartholomew's Drawing Book, New Series, Nos. 1, 2 and 5, by William N. Bartholomew, published by Woolworth, Ainsworth & Co., New York, copyright 1867, 1869, and 1870 respectively. The exercises within each of the three books is comprised of 12 half-sheet numbered exercises interleaved with full-page blank leaves for copying and additional original artwork. Each book progress in level of difficulty, and the books themselves increase in their levels of complexity. Book 1 begins with exercises in drawing horizontal and vertical lines, and continues with using those lines in various combinations and patterns to draw simple designs and decorative forms. All of the exercises have been completed. On the inside front cover are notes and instructions for the series. Book 1 is missing the back cover; instructions for lessons 4 and later are missing. Book 2 incorporates angled straight lines, introduces curved lines, and begins to explore leaf and plant forms. These exercises are considerably more complex than those found in Book 1. Some of the exercises have been completed; primarily those at the very beginning and the very end of the book. The inside front cover contains notes about materials, notes to the teacher, and instructions for lesson 1. The back cover is also lacking. The 12 numbered exercises in Book 5 are of plants and flowers. Some of the images include pansies, lily of the valley, and a rose. Most of the exercises have been copied, and there are additional original drawings, some dated by the artist. The inside of the front cover contains notes about the materials to be used for this book and general remarks. The inside of the back cover contains instructions for using and copying the 12 lessons within the book. The outside back cover is a publisher's advertisement for various items within the "Bartholomew's System of Drawing", including writing and drawing slates, drawing books, drawing cards and a teacher's guide. The paper wrapper added by (presumably) Alice Dodge contains pencil sketches and doodles. "Henry I.[?] Tubbs" is written in ms. on the front covers of Books 1 and 2 in the upper right-hand corner. "Alice Dodge, Sept. 28, 1871" is written in ms., in pencil, across the top cover of Book 5.
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Hood's Drawing Book
Visual Materials
One drawing book, entitled Hood's Drawing Book, with Designs and Suggestions from an Artist of Long and Varied Experience, published by C.I. Hood & Co., Lowell, Massachusetts, 1898. The front cover of the drawing book shows a young man painting the title of the book onto a wood sign. The back cover of the book lists descriptions of various "Family Medicines" available from Hood & Company, including "Hood's Sarsaparilla," Hood's Tooth Powder," and "Hood's Olive Ointment." The 24-page book contains various drawing exercises, starting with simple forms and progresses to complex scenes. Inside the front cover are instructions, such as which pencils to buy and how to sharpen them. Preliminary exercises are on grids to aid the student in copying images; other exercises encourage independent efforts copying an image. Five of the images in the book have been copied into separate, loose papers, which have been inserted in the book. A few of the drawings relate to medical goods made by C.I. Hood & Co., such as the image of "Hood's Medicated Soap."
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Erasable (School) Drawing and Writing Tablet, No. 2
Visual Materials
One drawing book entitled Erasable (School) Drawing and Writing Tablet, No. 2, printed by American Tablet Manuf. Co., Boston, Massachusetts, 1871, "patented October 24, 1865, and August 7, 1866." The front cover of the "tablet" shows a young lady sitting in a chair drawing on a sheet of paper. The tablet contains six pages of heavy paper board. The first four pages consist of two sets of printed images and blank areas. The last two pages of the tablet feature penmanship examples and blank areas below. "General Instructions" are on the back cover of the tablet. The student was supposed to "[d]raw in the blank spaces with a soft lead pencil, and erase with a damp woolen cloth." However, the majority of the printed images have been traced over rather than copied. In the upper-right hand corner of the second page is an indecipherable penciled note.
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Bartholomew's Primary School Drawing Cards, No. 1
Visual Materials
One set of drawing cards entitled Bartholomew's Primary School Drawing Cards, No. 1, by W. N. Bartholomew, published by Woolworth, Ainsworth & Co., New York and Chicago, 1874. This set is comprised of 10 double-sided lithograph cards, principally containing line drawing lessons on each side, totaling 20 lessons. The exercises in this series are listed on the envelope wrapper, below the title: "SET No. 1 - Simple exercises in placing points, drawing lines, plane figures, familiar objects and ornamental forms; also lessons in Printing and Writing." Sets 2 and 3 are also described. Each lesson is printed on a black background, with the image or letter to be copied in white. These drawing cards were designed to be used in conjunction with a drawing slate; the card would be placed in the card holder at one end of the slate, and the image copied onto the slate. The penmanship lessons on Card 10 are labeled "Payson, Dunton & Scribner's Penmanship." On the back side of the envelope is a publisher's advertisement for "Bartholomew's National System of Industrial Drawing" books. The dimensions provided are for the envelope.
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Bartholomew's Drawing Book, No. 2 and No. 3
Visual Materials
Two drawing books entitled Bartholomew's Drawing Book, No. 2 and No. 3, by William N. Bartholomew, published by Shepard, Clark & Brown, Boston (No. 2) and by Cyrus G. Cooke, Boston (No. 3), 1855. Each book is comprised of numbered half-sheets on which there is an image to be copied, interleaved with blank whole sheets for copying and completing each of the exercises. The majority of exercises within both books are buildings, such as houses, sheds, and barns. The front covers feature identical design and typeface elements; the title words are above and below an image of a right hand, holding a pencil to paper. The front cover illustration is signed by J. W. Orr., N.Y. Book No. 2 contains 12 numbered exercises (nos. 13-24, not in sequential order). The inside front cover lists 29 questions pertaining to the lessons learned in Book 1. These are followed by "Observations and Suggestions to the Teacher". This copy is lacking the back cover. Book No. 3 contains 9 numbered exercises (25-36: various). On the inside front cover of book No. 3 is a full-page "Note to the Teacher", in which there are outlined 5 general instructions. Both the outside and insides of the back cover are blank. A scene has been drawn on the inside of the back cover. Both books 2 and 3 have been completed, and both contain additional original artwork that is not part of the numbered exercises, and these have been completed as well.
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