A Comprehensive Overview of Autograph Collecting’s Past
Looking back at the establishment of official autograph collecting, we can see that literacy was far lower than it is now. Much of the nation lacked the ability to read and write. For the most part, Americans lived off the land. It wasn’t until 1815 that autograph collecting in the United States really took off. Newspaper records indicate that the first notable Americans to begin collecting autographs were William Sprague of Albany and Israel Tefft of Savannah.
People relied on the land for sustenance; therefore, literacy wasn’t very important for their day-to-day lives. Neither transportation nor communication have yet matured to their current stages. A certain level of literacy was thus required prior to engaging in signature collection. Having the capacity to write was a measure of one’s social and economic standing in the colonial era. The point of the writing was to reflect your social status. Learning to write was not an option for black slaves or lower-class women. But it was still pushed that white males in business should get their literacy rates up.
Autograph collecting really took off in the United States when the percentage of white people able to read and write surpassed 100%. After the Civil War and throughout the 1900s, graphology, the study of handwriting, gained a lot of popularity. Autograph collecting exploded in popularity among Americans as a whole, alongside the growing fascination with uniqueness. Common Americans in the early 1900s yearned for a sense of identity.
Aside from collecting autographs, handwriting was a highly sought-after and popular form of individuality. People were so excited that they could not control themselves as they waited for the mailman to bring them a letter from a loved one. Postal mail was a cheap way to communicate because of stamps. Everyone tried, in their own way, to acquire the ability to read and write.
In the beginning of autograph collecting, any signature was valuable. The importance of writing down our history cannot be overstated. Thus, one of the first ways to acquire historical artifacts was through the practice of autograph collecting. Because typesetting was not as common as it is now, manuscripts written by hand were highly prized and valued. An autograph, in its broadest definition, is a handwritten manuscript.
Early on, people realized that collecting autographs was a great way to preserve history—not only political history, but history in all its forms, from art and literature to inventions and music. When you hold a fragment of history in your hands, it seems to come to life. Letters, notes, and papers were all considered autographs in the early days of the hobby. Among autographs, signatures were the most affordable at the time.
Autographs have a long and storied history in many formats, including but not limited to: books signed by the author, letters (both handwritten and typed), contracts and checks, manuscripts (penned brief excerpts), photographs (of any size), presidential land grants, and signatures. A passion for reliving bygone times gave rise to the hobby of collecting autographs. As a kind of collecting, it has been around for a long time and is still highly rewarding today.