Real antiques - Fictional Scenarios
A while back I did a few blog posts on the theme: Real Antiques/Fictional Scenarios.
Now that I’ve brought back the blog format at AW.com, I thought I’d revive this theme.
Here it is and this item will actually be in an upcoming auction I’m having in Gloucester, MA on December 7th.
For this vignette, I present…
The Autograph Book
Many of us tend to think of the “autograph” as a collectible which began it’s rise in the 20th century. Most often it’s associated with sports celebrities, Hollywood movie stars, and politicians. But in truth, the Victorians were very fond of collecting the autographs of their school chums, colleagues and family members.
Today Victorian autograph books are collected not only for signatures, but also for the wonderful examples of calligraphy, doodles and excellent sketches.
The people of the Victorian era in America could be of a very dark and mysterious brood, as was the case in point, a Mr. John Davis Jr. In 1879, he became, with classmates a graduate of the Academy at North Cambridge Massachusetts.
Besides his penchant for perfect penmanship, and his incessant love for Taxidermy he was best known in the school for his creative and often mean practical jokes.
It was in his very own autograph book, the one pictured here, that Mr. Davis played what would be his last joke of the school year on a Mr. Walter Chandler. Mr Chandler was an elder friend of a school chum Bill Bothersly.
John Davis had convinced Bill Bothersly to attempt to sell to Mr. Chandler a secret cryptograph from his autograph book when Mr. Chandler was inebriated. William Chandler it was said, was a lover of all things cryptographical and was studying the art of human inkary (a tattoo artist)
Mr. Bothersly was to convince Mr. Chandler that said code was reputed to have special powers. With some special skank swampgut homebrew poured into Walter Chandler, this was not all that hard to do. This was after all, the days of mysticism, traveling Salvation shows and multitudes of snake oil salesmen.
Mr. Chandler drunkenly agreed to the purchase, and the deal was consummated. He was anxious to get access to the symbol.
The next morning brought not only a hangover, but embarrassment to Mr. Chandler as he realized he was swindled out of his money and made a laughing stock.
The rest of the story is a bit unclear, but what is known is that Mr. Chandler swore he held no grudge and in a good natured way forgave the mischevious John Davis. A few months later, he’d even invited Mr. Davis to a gathering he was having at his dormatory at Brown University.
There was drinking, much, and the next morning when Mr Davis awoke, he was dismayed to find that the notorious cryptograph which he had Bothersly sell to Chandler, was outlined in tiny blood rivulets on his forehead. 
It had been tatooed on him! He became a total recluse and was never seen in the light of day by any human being again!
Those Victorians, they were a DARK brood.
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Also, before the auction was an art show
penguin buoy
Beautiful carved Madonna and Child Buoy. For those unfamiliar these buoys adorn our public Christmas Tree each year. 
Flying dog and lighthouse buoys
