Luthera M. Whitney's Charming Antique Sketchbook, Full wood and matches and whoever made this certainly

and whoever made this certainly had a vision which they exerted a lot of time and effort to carry all the way through

as with many artifacts of quack science

such that the lid slides smoothly and fits super snugly--just right--protecting the figure (and symbol of the US Federal government) for what one hopes is a release and revivification near at hand

Early 20th century I believe and unsigned as far as I can tell

though I did test the end of one

Luthera M. Whitney's Charming Antique Sketchbook, Full wood and matches and whoever made this certainlyI did bother to look up Luthera Whitney, who signed this sketchbook, and turns out she went on to become a published writer, with works including (doesn't seem too surprising!) "Old Time Days and Ways," focused on homesteading, published in 1883. I also found a record of her listed as a school teacher in Springfield Vermont in 1870, age 26, so would guess this sketchbook dates to 1860 or so. While not every sketch here is super exciting, there are a