Scarce c. 1860s "Transparent Slate" with Eleven Engravings for Tracing handmade scrapbook It only lasted 2 years

It only lasted 2 years

(I purchased it from a favorite shop in NH and know it came from a private collection rich in Southeast Asian treasures

There is also a terrific nine quadrant printed chart of directions with hands pointing every way a few pages in

Of course I like the old creamy white paint

Scarce c. 1860s "Transparent Slate" with Eleven Engravings for Tracing handmade scrapbook It only lasted 2 yearsThis is a scarce one an early "transparent slate," c. 1860s, used as a drawing teaching tool. (The man pictured is Charles Fremont, Senator from California, first Republican candidate for president in 1856, and best known as "the Pathfinder" for expeditions to open the West to settlers.) As per the instructions on the back of the frame, one was meant to place one of the included engravings in the frame, use a "fine pointed black lead pencil" to trace