Description: Two handwritten poems dated April 2, 1881, as submitted for publication to a periodical called The Telephone. The poems are acrostics -- the first letters of each line of one poem spell "Joseph Bonham" and the first letters of each line of the second poem spell "Christina G Bonham". The poems were written to celebrate Christina Bonham's 68th birthday. The writer was M.L.T. Hartman, whose maiden name was Birdie Bohnam. According to a genealogy website, Christine [Christina] Gregory Bonham lived from 1813 to 1901 and Birdie Bonham was her daughter. The document is a single sheet of lined paper measuring about 8" wide x 12 3/8" high. The letter "W" is embossed in the upper left-hand corner. The document is suitable for conservation and framing, as shown. There are visible fold marks and one vertical fold is beginning to separate at the top and bottom. There are four pinholes along that vertical fold. There is some browning on the reverse of the document, which contains the names Geo H. Parrish and M.L.T. Hartman written in pencil. Overall, the document is well-preserved for a paper item more than 140 years old. Of interest, Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for the telephone in March 1876, so it is unusual to read about a periodical called The Telephone that was published so early in the device's existence. The introductory message at the beginning of the manuscript reads as follows: Town Line April 10th 1881 Mr. Charles D. Linehill Dear Sir, We would like to publish the following in the next issue of the Telephone. I do not wish to have my name mentioned. Birdie Bonham On the second of April 1881 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Bonham were very agreeably surprised by the arrival at their residence of their children, grandchildren, and numerous friends as it was the sixty eighth birthday of Mrs. Jos. Bonham. After partaking of refreshments the following lines were read, composed by M.L. T. Hartman, one of the guests. The presents were numerous. They were both useful and ornamental. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our father was a bibliophile who collected rare books, letters, and ephemera for more than 60 years. For now and into the foreseeable future, we will be listing rare paper items from his estate. Take a look at all our items for sale. We combine shipping upon request. Please LET US KNOW if you’ve purchased multiple items so we can combine.
Price: 35 USD
Location: Slingerlands, New York
End Time: 2024-08-10T13:00:01.000Z
Shipping Cost: 5 USD
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Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Subject: History
Special Attributes: Manuscript
Topic: Poetry
