Album, Manuscript and printed of Mary Speight of Millhouses[ near Sheffield] with dates for 1859-97 ( near Sheffield). Approx 23 cm x 19 cm. with wide ranging content in a purpose made album by W &H Rock of London, now worn, the spine with an amateur repair with leather, the binding loose.The content has a Frontis with a collage with a tiny book cover which opens to show the motto “Supported by Voluntary Contributions” followed by a page showing Mary Speight’s name and date. There are several pages of arranged seaweeds, pages of crests, much poetry, a great many signatures, arranged pressed flowers, cartoons, two pages of names and addresses with trompe l’oeil pins, signatures of Fitzwilliams of Wentworth Woodhouse (Dukes of Portland) The Lord’s Prayer and Ten Commandments in ( miniature) Phonetic Phonography ( shorthand) and another example, pressed wild flowers gathered from Niagara Falls , and another from the Mount of Olives, flowers painted on what seems to be silk, an embossed card showing queen Victoria and celebrating sixty years on the throne (1837-97) an embossed gilt roundel with the Masonic principles “ Brotherly Love, Relief & Truth”, a weird but wonderful arrangement of feathers “ In loving remembrance Philip & Hastings Daisy and Gracie, the Pet Love birds of dear E.M.C” (identified on the next leaf as Edith Mary Cordeux), an example of ( unreadable) mystery writing, a Louis Wain lookalike cat, and as a last leaf a most bizarre drawing of a man shown from behind wearing a top hat and frock coat, with long white hair showing, with the caption “Back view of Romeo showing the effect of grief at parting with his Juliet”. Very very odd indeed.
