Conditions Governing Use:

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Conditions Governing Access:

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Preferred Citation:

C. W. Carmer Scrapbook, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.

Acquisition Information:

Acc. 2013.004 was received by Special Collections on January 7, 2013.

Processing Information:

Accessioned and minimally described by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, in January 2013. Sarah Vlasity, Special Collections Staff, further described this collection in September 2013.

Scope and Contents

Scrapbook, 1864-1878, comprised of newspaper clippings from New York City pasted over a handwritten ledger. A majority of clippings are literary in nature and include short stories, household dramas, fairy tales, and humor. Several advertisements for theater productions are collected here as well. Articles on current events are interspersed throughout the scrapbook.  Of particular note are a special report on the fall of Atlanta in 1864, coverage of Abraham Lincoln's assassination in 1865, and a full page illustration memorializing Lincoln. Also of interest are an American woman's account of Chinese customs, a description of a cyclone in India, a scientific report on tobacco smoking, and an article about sleep. Several pictorials and political cartoons also depict current events. Specifically, there are images of steamships, international cities, locations and scenes relating to the Civil War, and prominent figures such as Santa Anna, John J. Audubon, and Cardinal Wiseman. Humorous pictorials concern everyday life while the political cartoons primarily relate to the Civil War and have a Valentine's Day theme.

The binding on the scrapbook is completely unbound and contains some glue marks. Several pages are discolored and the bottom edges scorched.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• American poetry--19th century
• Caricatures and cartoons--United States
• Georgia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
• Short stories, American
• Theater--19th century
• United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Newspapers