Memorandum Book
England
1785-1830
Measurements
3-3/8 in x 1-5/8 in x 3/8 in
Materials
Ivory, silver mounts
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation, The David Wilson Mansion, Inc.
Accession Number
1971.990
Inscription
“M. C. WILSON, / 1840 / M. C. WARNER, /1878” is engraved onto the shield mounted on the front cover.
Provenance
Ex coll. Mrs. E. Tatnall (Mary Corbit) Warner
Comments
This small personal notebook of six ivory leaves held between slightly thicker covers has a rivet in the center bottom that passes through all of the parts. Aside from holding everything together, the rivet allows the book to fan open, exposing each leaf. The leaves are marked “MONDAY” through “SATURDAY,” Sunday being a day off from work. Notes could be entered with pencil and removed as necessary. A clasp at the top holds the book together.
The decorative shield on the front cover was engraved later by Mary Corbit Warner. She honored her mother, Mary Corbit Wilson (1811-1880) and added the date of 1840. The significance of that date in unknown. It seems very late for this object, Mary Warner was not concerned with the accuracy of dates, as shown by many other objects owned by her in this collection.
For similar memorandum books, see Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession no. 52.1305); The Winterthur Museum owns a similar note book made in Salem, Massachusetts, bearing a likely date of origin of 1746 (accession no. 1952.0127).
