1848 Penmanship copy book by Dolly Ann Rich, East Calais, Vermont

[16] leaves, saddle-stitched, 6.25 x 7.25 inches. 25 pages with penmanship exercises. Embossed seal of L & Co. in the upper left corner. Last entry dated 1848. Very Good. The outer sheet is beginning to split along the spine and has light expected soil, faint overall creasing. A very delicate item. The paper has a vellum-like translucence that creates a beautiful visual texture, mixed with varied line weights and movement of the writing specimens. A mix of words, some in French, and a large representation of individual letters which, in combination with the paper properties, have the visual effect of intentional asemic writing. She also quotes a little Lord Byron at the end. Dolly married Joseph Warren Leonard (1828-1905), who enlisted in the Union army during the Civil War and was a farmer in civilian life. Their daughter Alma Davis Leonard (1854-1935) was a school teacher and superintendent who became known as the town's unofficial historian. Papers related to the family and the history of East Calais are held in the Erlene Leonard collection at the Vermont Historical Society.