Old essay signed by author and stamped with library of congress seal

[rainbrozak]

What I think is an essay about spiders, what I am not sure about is who wrote it and why there is a library of congress seal.

Any help is very appreciated.

[sonomabarn67]

Looks to be signed by Nellie? You should take a much better picture (with contrast) of the embossed  stamp. Here is a cleaned up version of what you posted, but still.... It's also possible that the congress stamp is a brand of paper.

[maxine*j]

In regard to a question raised on the newspaper/wallpaper thread, did you notice that it is written on lined  paper?

[maxine*j]

Thanks for the enhancement.  I can't see it well enough, still, to say what it is.  But I can say that it is definitely not the Library of Congress seal. 

This appears to be a school child's essay, and I'd guess it was entered into some sort of contest;  thus, the seal.  (Whatever the seal is.)

[sonomabarn67]

Remember this embossed stamp from that portrait miniature I had a while back? Looks impressive but just a fancy paper brand from the 1850's.

If OP could get a better pic of theirs with the light at a raking angle rather than straight on, it might produce results. Try about 10 shots close up in different lighting/focus,etc then choose the best

[debora_34_]

Sweet.  Little Nell's school work and saved by someone all this time.   From the name "Nell," likely to date to turn of the century.

Debora

[maxine*j]

Not only do the schools no longer teach beautiful handwriting like that, most public schools do not teach cursive at all.  To my generation, it's an alien idea that people can only print, or figure out some idosyncratic way to "join up" their letters. 

[rainbrozak]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I did jump the gun on thinking it was in the library of congress because of the seal.

[melda58]

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@maxine*j wrote:

In regard to a question raised on the newspaper/wallpaper thread, did you notice that it is written on lined  paper?

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Yes that jumped right out at me too Maxine.  

Rita

[argon38]

This letter from 1864 appears to have been written on the same brand of notepaper:

http://universityarchives.com/_Abraham_Lincoln_-ITEM64987.aspx

[argon38]

He also did a cursory check of the paper. “The poem was written on paper with a boss on it with the Capitol dome and the word  Congress. I found that Dickinson had used Congress paper at two different periods in her life—in 1871 and again in 1874.”

https://www.theparisreview.org/letters-essays/735/emily-dickinson-goes-to-las-vegas-simon-worrall

[debora_34_]

This information on the Congress brand was floating around the internet.

https://www.stampcommunity.org/showpic.asp?pic=https://www.stampcommunity.org/uploaded/wt1/20130723_...

Debora

[debora_34_]

This is easier for everyone.

Debora

[sonomabarn67]

So my suggestion of Congress being the paper brand has borne fruit! Cool.