The Golden Hours of Youth Are Slipping Away, Early 19th C. Ink and Watercolor Love Token by Sarah A. Stearns hand carved with the prior hand-written page

with the prior hand-written page providing information about that tree

One can position this in all sorts of ways

but rarely do I find one in good condition that doesn't cost a fortune--even rarer that I come across one that folds out to two feet

like a question re

it is quite heavy and one really feels the weight of all that work

The Golden Hours of Youth Are Slipping Away, Early 19th C. Ink and Watercolor Love Token by Sarah A. Stearns hand carved with the prior hand-written pageI purchased this one at the Boston Antiquarian Book Fair from a wonderful dealer sharing my love of early paper; clearly it shows a bit of loss along the bottom, but I just could not resist that marvelous little ink and watercolor basket of flowers with larger blooms springing up from either side the embodiment of Youth, indeed, even while we are reminded that "the golden hours are sliding fast away"! Delivered as a "tribute of love and affection"