LYDIA M. HARMAN (FLOYD COUNTY, VIRGINIA, B. 1868) FOLK ART SCHOOLGIRL EXERCISE / DRAWING BOOK, watercolor, ink, and graphite on lined paper, filled with various drawings, exercises, and inscriptions, including maker's name throughout. One page inscribed "Steady Habits will give healthy bodies / Floyd Co., Va". Hand-sewn book on lined paper watermarked "Champion". 36 pages total (including front and back covers). 1875-1877. 12" x 8" object.
Provenance: From a private Lynchburg, VA collection.
Catalogue Note: Lydia M. Harmon (Harman) was born in Floyd, Co., VA in 1868. She is recorded in the 1880 U.S. Census living with her parents, Joseph and Sarah, and her siblings in Piper's Gap, Carroll Co., Va, just south of her birthplace in Floyd Co. A rare survival from the Southern backcountry, the present example typifies the tendency of styles and habits to linger in the rural South.
Condition
Good as-found condition overall with some toning, foxing, and staining throughout. Front and back covers with heavier toning and edge wear. One interior page with loss (old cut-out) and others with edge wear.