Mathurin Meheut “Prisonniers Francais Regardant Les Pieces Prises aux Boches,” Watercolor, November 1918

The collection contains autographs, manuscripts, photographs and artwork from some of the greatest names in literature, art, politics and the military of the First World War era. In addition to the materials forming “Their Book,” this collection also contains items that ultimately were not included in the final collection to be auctioned, and correspondence of Anna O’Neill Johnson pertaining to the formation of the collection and auction. Additionally, there are a few items associated with “Their Book” including two medals from the Orphelinat des Armẻes.

The collection is organized into three series: “Their Book;” Unused Contributions; and Anna O’Neill Johnson Correspondence. Materials in the collection date from 1866 to 1985 with the bulk dating from 1916 to 1919. The later materials pertain to the donation of the collection to Holy Cross. The first series, “Their Book,” maintains the original order of the auction catalog. The lot numbers in the auction catalog have been retained as identifiers in order to make it easier to cross reference. The missing items from the collection are listed separately at the end of the box and folder listing. The third series, Anna O’Neill Johnson Correspondence, also contains newspaper clippings and these have been photocopied for preservation purposes.