[123 total leaves], including 30 leaves with hand-written music notes, inscriptions, and color drawings, all on the front or recto side of the leaves. With 4 leaves of original drawings (3 in color), 11 leaves of musical notes, and 38 autographs and/or inscriptions (3 with a poem and 2 of those with an original drawing). 10¼x6-5/8, bound in full dark turn-of-the-century morocco, front cover initialed "E. M. S.," raised spine bands, decorative gilt dentelles over morocco turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt.
A unique and important autograph album, containing mostly signatures from noted and famous composers from the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, along with other noted people of the time, plus original artwork. Collected and originally belonging to Marian Sexton of Fairlawn, New York, with her autograph note “Marian Sexton’s Autograph Book” on the front preliminary leaf. The three original color artwork drawings include: A nice watercolor drawing of Loch Lomond, Scotland, by [William] Arthur Paxton (1873-1965), signed (twice) and dated January 14, 1897. Paxton was a member of the Hudson River school, later a resident of Los Angeles and member of the California Art Club, he is best remembered for his coastal landscapes. Arguably, his suite of paintings on Scotland are the most well known of his works, and this one is probably unrecorded and quite desirable. * An untitled scene in graphite, of a birdbath accompanied with a poem by Mary E. Alward, written and drawn for Marion, dated July 6, 1946. Poem reads: “The robin sings at Fairlawn, the sparrow and the wren, the flowers bloom at fairlawn, only try to use a pen, our Marian’s at Fairlawn, our Marian so dear, and more than birds or flowers, her love lasts all the year.” * Watercolor sketch of an outdoor scene with short a poem by Marion Leale, “A vision of Fairlawn, a memory of happy hours with a dear and lovely friend,” dated November 2, 1936. * And an impressionist watercolor portrait, presumably of the compiler of this collection, Marian Sexton, signed (twice) and dated March 1897, by Percival De Luce (1847-1914), who is affiliated with New York. His expertise was mostly in portraiture, domestic genre and still life. Autographs of composers, with: V. Laar(?), dated New York, March 1900 with musical notations; Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941), the great Polish composer, pianist, politician, dated New York, 1905 with musical notations; J. Hazard Wilson, dated New York, 1897, with musical notations; Ralph Leopold, not dated, with musical notations; Henry Holden Huss (1862-1953), piano composer, dated 1929, with musical notations; Samuel Breton Whitney, dated Vermont, 1898, with musical notations; Annie Louise Cary (1841-1921), opera singer born in Maine, dated New York, April 1897; plus two others with illegible hand-writing and musical notes. Other miscellaneous figures include: John Burroughs (1837-1921), the famous American naturalist and author, long 24-line autograph letter signed and dated October 11, 1898; D. Russ Judd, dated January 22, 1916; Alexander Piper, Colonel U.S. Army; Arthur C.A. Hall, Bishop of Vermont; Herbert S.S. Smith; J.G. Brown; Edwin S. Cunningham, U.S. Consul, Bergen(?), Norge, dated July 29, 1903; Mary Clara Camara de Menezes Lopes, dated Rio de Janerio, Brazil, June 12, 1939; Hild Northeyton(?) Smith, Marian Smith’s sister, dated October 14, 1936; William Hunter Workman and Fanny Bullock Workman (“one of the first two women to read a paper before the Royal Geographical Society…was an American traveller and mountaineer and as ‘Queen’ of the mountaineers accomplished many amazing travelling and climbing feats in North Africa, Palestine, Asia Minor, Egypt, India and many others. In 1906 she established an altitude record for a woman of 6930 metres on Pinnacle Peak and was pictured standing in the snow with her axe displaying a 'Votes for Women' poster” – from web.ukonline.co.uk/m.gratton), both dated New York, June 1, 1897; Admiral George Dewey (1837-1917), famous U.S. Navy Admiral, best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War, signed in Woodstock, VA, dated September 18, 1911; Martha P. Stern (1880-1975), artist, dated June 29th, 1936; John W. Barsore, dated November 25, 1937; Bryant Morey French, dated June 1939; David Winslowe (nephew of Marian) dated Amherst, MA, June 18, 1938; Elizabeth McCord Pitts (1880-1963), American still life artist, dated 1938; Aarnie Martin Crane, signed Belmont Lodge, Oxford, Maine, dated September 25, 1906; plus others, including an illegible signature from a German Consul, dated September 11, 1903.