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Catherine "Kate" Weller commonplace book

 Collection — Box: BW 61, Folder: 001
Identifier: MSS-16946

Content Description

This collection contains a commonplace book created by Catherine "Kate" Weller of Surrey, England. The book, dated between 1833 and 1835, includes 154 pages with sixty-four handwritten entries, ten watercolors, six other drawings, and a few ephemera items. It also has what may be a self-portrait of the author. Weller's title page is dated March 10, 1833 and the first entry is dated September 20, 1835 under the heading "My Album". The book has typical entries of commonplace books of the time, such as passages from Samuel Johnson, Oliver Goldsmith, and aphorisms like Thomas Jefferson's "Ten rules to live by." Weller provided much of the text; however, there is at least five other writers, including a man identified only as "THD" commenting on bachelorhood and love. Weller's drawings capture in full-color detail, with many scenes featuring birds, florals, butterflies, a cottage, and a woman.

Dates

  • Creation: 1833-1835

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection has been minimally processed and is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Library believes that all or nearly all material in this collection is likely to be in the public domain, free of copyright restrictions. Visit our Permissions and Publishing page for more information about use of Special Collections materials. The library can provide copyright information upon request, but users are responsible for making their own determination about lawful use of collections materials. NoC-US: No Copyright - United States: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/

Full Extent

0.03 Cubic Feet (1 folder (letter))

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was purchased from Langdon Manor by the Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia on 29 June 2023.

Condition Description

Fair. The spine perished and was replaced with paper tape; boards with heavy edgewear; textblock nearly fully detached with gatherings detached from textblock. Paper otherwise good

Title
Catherine "Kate" Weller commonplace book
Author
Eric Willersdorf, Student Accessioning Assistant
Date
1 April 2026
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library Repository

Contact:
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
P.O. Box 400110
University of Virginia
Charlottesville Virginia 22904-4110 United States