This is one of three double-sided pages from an early 19th c. Newburyport, MA school notebook I'm listing--clearly the work of one person--which came from the collection of longtime New England collectors Bev and John Titus. I love early watercolored notebook drawings and diagrams just about as much as anything in the world, so swooned when I saw these. This is the most subtle of the three, but the one that most rewards close looking, completely charming in its details. Both sides relate to measuring distance--on one side between three towns above, and between home and position in the woods below; on the other between figure with compass at far left and the meeting house "spied" in the distance at right. I do believe the student who drew these took great delight in the drawing, wonderfully detailing each little house and tree and perhaps best of all each tiny figure! I find these a complete delight, and knowing they were done just a few miles from me, some 200+ years ago, is pretty nice too.
Framed as found: 16 1/2 x 11 1/2 x ; sight: 12 1/2 x 7 1/2. The frames appear to have been custom made for these, not very long ago. The page is pretty much hermetically sealed inside the frame, between two panes of glass, with wooden plugs/pegs near the corners on the top edge of the frame. It appears to me one would need to drill down through those plugs in order to disassemble the frame should one wish to reframe them--certainly doable but just a note that frames don't readily pull apart.
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