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This album was likely commissioned in 1859 to house William T. Walters' collection of works on paper by American artists. From correspondence with the New York based dealer and collector, Samuel P. Avery, it is known that this book was being prepared for the Christmas period in that year. However, it is possible that the album was rebound at a later date. In style it matches very closely volumes put together in the 1860s for William's other drawings collections.Originally this album contained a specially commissioned illuminated frontispiece, followed by forty-seven works, concluding with an illuminated tailpiece of a discarded palette covered with spider web and dangling spider. These are by an as yet unidentified artist with the initials "CMB."