Autograph Books

Autograph albums were a very significant part of history in the 19th century, especially within women’s lives. ​They show the earliest transitions in women’s lives from being homemakers into their lives in a more public spotlight, fighting for their rights in the American West.​ These albums give us a personified relationship with the women that held them.​ They allow for women’s history to be represented by women, outside of their lives surrounded by men.​

We can consider the use of Autograph Albums as the authors form of social media back then. They were often considered friendship albums, as they were used to maintain relationships, similar to how we do that with Facebook now. They are filled with pop culture references, poems, and loving motifs from the 19th century.

Their inscriptions are filled with women challenging society. With signatures from schoolmates, lawyers, and inscriptions encouraging women’s progress in their lives from both men and women, the early feminist movement is hard to miss within these pages. One of the owner's of the albums, Margaret Bischoff, was able to provide us with an abundance of information about her life and what went on during the most important parts.

Margaret Bischoff​

The Bischoffs were a prominent family in Topeka, KS during the 19th century. Margaret was an exceptional woman, like many of the women in the autograph albums.

Margaret Migrated from Germany when she was 7 and moved across the US twice, before she settled in Topeka, KS.

 

Our Plans for the Albums

A digital archive with each inscription will be created, along with a few spotlights on some of the women in the albums and a literature review over current research on the significance on autograph albums. Check back for more updates on this exciting project!​