While some of the graphite drawings in it show some smudging and softening--no great surprise, being 170 or so years old--this, I think, is quite a marvelous thing, both as a document of pre-Civil War, 2nd Great Awakening era New England, and for the drawings themselves. It appears to have been the notebook of a June Chase of Boston, MA, who I believe was a member of the Chase family of New England, descending from early American settlers Aquila Chase II and Thomas Chase of Chesham England, who in 1640 received land grants in Hampton, NH. Members of the family became prominent in politics, law and religion in NH, MA and Maine.
The notebook is dated either 1853 or 1859 and interweaves quotations about friendship and future remembering (I particularly like the phrase "love and fear" surrounded by flourishes), several pages of penmanship practice ("quarrelsome people are dangerous companions"--twice for good measure; "religion in the best armor in the world") and a series of drawings of houses, birds, and more, including a wonderful little rendering of oriole nests. I haven't done enough digging to find anything out about June Chase, specifically, but think one could do some further delving into this, perhaps even to determine the specific houses rendered.
6 3/4" x 4 1/8". Ten pages including cover, hand-stitched binding, filled front and back of each page in combination of ink and graphite on blue and natural wove paper. Some fading/softening to drawings and one page with the upper third of the page removed, but overall good condition, tightly bound, not fragile. One small loose drawing held inside pages. Photos document pages in order, then a handful of details.
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