Autograph album likely belonging to Maidee P. Polleys, Essex, Mass., circa 1878-1884

Collection Type

  • Manuscripts

Date

circa 1878-1884

Location Note

Miscellaneous manuscripts, Box 4; 85M-01-314-Z-C-0407

GUSN

GUSN-380756

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Description

Autograph album likely belonging to Maidee P. Polleys, with signatures dated circa 1878-1884. It contains signatures from a number of individuals, such as her father Woodbury H. Polleys, her mother Sarah D. (Proctor) Polleys, her maternal grandparents Samuel and Abigail (Dodge) Proctor, several aunts, uncles, and distant cousins, and various friends, neighbors, and acquaintances. The majority of signatures are signed Essex, Mass.; it also includes several from Woodfords, Maine. Signatures in the album are accompanied by poem excerpts, quotes, riddles, and illustrations. The illustrations are in an Orientalist style, seeking to imitate the visual styles of traditional Chinese prints and similar artwork.

The front of the autograph album reads "Scroll and Fern Autograph Album" and is copyrighted 1878. The artist and printer/publisher are not identified.

Details

Descriptive Terms

autograph albums
families
signatures (names)
engravings (prints)
poetry
quotations (texts)
Orientalism
autograph albums
engravings (prints)
signatures (names)

Physical Descrption

1 autograph album : illustrated; 4 7/8 x 2 3/4 inches

Collection Code

MS029

Collection Name

Miscellaneous manuscript collection

Reference Code

MS029.002.054

Acqusition Type

Library & Archives Purchase

Credit Line

Purchase, 2024.

Places

Essex (Essex county, Massachusetts)
Woodfords Corner (Cumberland county, Maine)

Record Details

Material Type

autograph albums
engravings (prints)
signatures (names)

Other People

Polleys, Maidee Proctor, 1873-1963
Polleys, Woodbury Hugh, 1817-1885
Polleys, Sarah (Proctor), 1836-1919
Proctor, Samuel, 1803-1883
Proctor, Abigail (Dodge), 1803-1885
Burnham, Margaret (Dodge), 1815-1904
Choate, Sarah Elizabeth (Burnham), 1849-1927
Choate, Rufus, 1834-1913
Choate, Agnes Mary, 1882-1981
Choate, Celia Mason, 1884-1976
Burnham, Frank Ellis, 1853-1932
Burnham, Clara May, 1855-1940
Burnham, Roy Gibson, 1878-1959
Burnham, Margaret Ellis, 1879-1965

Subjects

Friendship

Description Level

Item

Location Note

Miscellaneous manuscripts, Box 4; 85M-01-314-Z-C-0407

Related Items

Autograph book
Autograph book\n
Autograph book and letters
Autograph album of Emma I. Fiske, Lexington, Mass., 1868
Autograph album of Fannie Fellows, Sandwich, New Hampshire, circa 1878-1881

Historical/Biographical Note

Historical/Biographical Note

Maidee Proctor Polleys was born in 1873 in Essex, Mass., to Woodbury H. Polleys (1817-1885) and his second wife Sarah D. (Proctor) Polleys (1836-1919). She had an older sister who died at birth and four older half-siblings. Maidee worked as a teacher, author, and newspaper correspondent. She never married but lived for several decades with a companion, teacher Addie B. Hobbs (1874-1965). Maidee died in 1963 in Essex, Mass. at the age of 90.

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