Orphan Rachel
Identifier |
BOK.NAM.AD1835
|
Title |
Orphan Rachel
|
Alternative Title |
or Fruits of Perseverance
|
Description |
The woodcut illustrated story of the Orphan Rachel tells a story of a young woman who lives and takes care of her blind grandfather who eventually dies and leaves Rachel with little inheritance. In her frustration of her predicament the Orphan Rachel reads the bible and reflects on the blessings from God. Throughout the remainder of the story the Orphan Rachel is aided by others and eventually becomes a "superior woman" and mother teaching her children to trust in God as she did. The orphan Rachel was Published by Cory and Daniels, a publishing company established in Providence, Rhode Island in 1831 ("Cory and Daniels").
This book is an example of 19th century small booklets that were often sold on the streets. These "chapbooks" as they are called, were produced and sold cheap so as to make them more accessible to children of all socioeconomic statuses. Because of this, the quality of the paper is usually poor with nothing but thread holding the sheets together. However, chapbooks were not solely used for children's literature but covered a variety of subjects including various stories, news and politics, songs and riddles, and even for prophecy or fortune telling. These books were popular during a time where literacy was increasing among children and provided rudimentary reading practice and content. This style of literature underwent several transformations over the decades in an attempt to stay relevant. Ultimately the chapbooks of the 19th century evolved into the timeless and still popular comics of the early 20th century. (Richardson 2014) * * * Richardson, Ruth. "Chapbooks." British Library, (May 15, 2014): Accessed July 28, 2023. https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/chapbooks “Cory and Daniels, Providence.” 19th Century Juvenile Series. Accessed November 4, 2020. http://19thcenturyjuvenileseries.com/publishers/daniels.html. |
Date Created |
1835 AD
|
Publisher |
Cory and Daniels
|
Extent |
16 cm
|
Audience |
Children
|
Geographical Coverage |
Providence, Rhode Island
|
Temporal Coverage |
19th Century
|
Format |
Print
|
Collecting Areas |
English
History of Writing Collection See all items with this value
English
Book See all items with this value
English
illustrated works (documents) See all items with this value
English
picture books See all items with this value
|
Language |
English
|
Provenance |
"Caroline F. Smith's Book" written on the back of the front cover.
|
Subject |
|
Type |
Picture Books
Children's Books
|
Bibliographic Citation |
Orphan Rachel; or Fruits of Perseverance. Providence: Cory and Daniels, 1835.
|
