A collection of memories: women's educational heritage in memory albums

Abstract

This article focuses on the study of a collection of "memory albums" that, since the 19th century, have been part of women's intimate writings. The central objective is to analyze the material characteristics of this educational heritage collection, composed of 40 copies, dating from the 1850s to the 1980s, whose purpose was to store messages dedicated to their owners, preserving the memory of those who wrote them. More specifically, the aim is to highlight the changes that have occurred over the years in the way these records are compiled. Regarding the methodological aspects, the research was conducted in different stages, beginning with an active search for sources in antique shops, auctions, and scrap metal dealers, resulting in the acquisition of 40 memory albums. Subsequently, the materiality of each copy in its original covering, dating, number of pages, form and equipment used for writing, as well as other aspects concerning the album's memorial nature, were examined. In the third stage, illustrative tables were created with information about each copy. In conclusion, it can be stated that the messages present in the memory albums are distributed among poems, sonnets, verses, and ballads; personal notes of congratulations, dedications, farewells, and tributes; famous phrases, thoughts, and proverbs; as well as eulogies, records praising friendship, and religious writings. Thus, the analysis of the memory album collection allows us to glimpse the historicity contained in these artifacts, notably the role of schools in the education of women, transcending conventional teachings and memories confined to the walls of institutions.