Student's Mathematics Notebook with Calligraphic Writing and Watercolored Ornamentation

Fairbanks, George W. (1799-1842 probably)

Edité par NA, West Boylston, Massachusetts (Worcester County), 1816

A propos de cet article

A decorative student's math notebook with frequent calligraphic lettering and many watercolored decorative elements. Unlike other such notebooks -- the ones with some decorative panache -- the decoration here is entirely ornamental, with many epitomizing the Folk Art esprit one finds also in manuscript prayer books and the like contemporary with the compilation of this notebook. (So here we don't find the vignette lighthouses and church steeples drawn to help explicate principles of trigonometry, but rather, we have bouquets, floral sprays, foliage, swags (loosely-speaking) and the like. And we would add that some of the calligraphic lettering stand out compared to other student notebooks of the same age and type. George Fairbanks, whose notebook this was, has written the date, March 31,1816, which probably marks when he began the notebook, but could easily be the terminus date as well. In any case, it gives us a solid date, and we think it is a fair assumption that the notebook was compiled in less than a year's time. He was 17 years old, and it is so stated on the FEP in a much later handwritten note, done after he had passed away probably, which also states he was Philip'd and Dorothy's Grandfather, as well as the fact the notebook was done "all by himself". This suggests this was held onto by the family for a long time afterward, as a proud heirloom. 4to. 32.5by 21 cm. 176 pp. Fairbanks wrote his headings in a decorative calligraphy, which could have infill decoration within letters. This is not so unusual for these notebooks. He also wrote regular text ina lovely, and legible cursive, with many a decorative flourish, and taking full advantage of the writing implements of the day to achieve these effects. Again, not so unusual, although we would maintain that Fairbanks' writing throughout is superior to others writing in the same vein. It's the ornament that populates many a page that makes this notebook special compared to other such notebooks. Only in the working out of numbers is there ever some straying from the overall neatness, with the lines at times uneven, or descending diagonally the lower one gets on the page. The decoration both suffused the album as a whole, yet we wouldn't assert it is on every page. Perhaps half of the pages come off as decorative in some way, and a little less than half of those have a decorative flourish that isn't a part of the lettering or handwriting. Condition: Spine with advanced starting, front and rear joint, and sheep heavily rubbed. Losses to marbled paper on boards. Impression of typed page made on marbled paper both front and rear. Leaves with heavy age toning at times, and foxing, staining can be found throughout, although never obscuring manuscript element. One leaf with a quarter-sized hole in the middle. Some edges rough, with shallow chips, short closed tears, etc. Several pages are rag-like, and in particular, the final leaf is so. Half Sheep. Marbled paper pastedown.

N° de réf. du vendeur 007931

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Student's Mathematics Notebook with Calligraphic Writing and Watercolored Ornamentation
• Éditeur: NA, West Boylston, Massachusetts (Worcester County)
• Date de parution: 1816
• Édition: NA.
• État de l'article: Good
• Catalogues du vendeur:
  • Americana
  • Education
  • Manuscripts