The Henrietta Singer Autograph Book is comprised of more than seventy handwritten poems, verses, messages, and drawings contributed by friends of Singer between May 1830 and July 1835. The book begins with a poetic inscription on friendship and memory added by Henrietta in June 1830. The remainder of the volume is comprised of entries from friends, including excerpts from the works of established writers such as William Cowper, Robert Pollock, James Montgomery, and Lord Byron. Of particular note is the appearance of Thomas Pringle's abolitionist poem "The Slave Dealer." The book also contains numerous biblical verses and other Christian-centric writings including a poem titled "The Christian Female."
Some entries appear to contain original poetic content or other personalized messages. One entry from 1833 is titled "Lines on the death of H.S." followed by an unidentified poem. Messages from Isabella and Margaretta McClelland express a close relationship with Singer. Isabella McLelland's entry is followed by a pencil drawing of a young woman. Other drawings include a colored wreath, a small bird, a harp, and an ink drawing of a walled village and surrounding landscape. Twelve of the entries indicate the city in which the entry was made with several originating in Germantown, Pennsylvania and the majority having been made in Philadelphia. The entries are not arranged chronologically.
The album includes a contemporary newspaper clipping that reads "At the residence of her husband, in the town of Dover, Delaware, on the 23d inst., Henrietta S., wife of Rev. Thomas B. Bradford, formerly of this borough," likely excerpted from the "Society" section of a Philadelphia-area newspaper. Limited geneaological notes about Singer and Bradford, probably created by a later owner, are also present.
