Richard Thurston's 1929 Penmanship Practice gift for kids I'd think a spice box--the

I'd think a spice box--the space inside is not very large

and certainly it bears a strong resemblance to the iconic folk art lion of John Bell (1800–1880) from the Shenandoah Valley

As the story goes

Box measures 8" x5 1/8" x 4 5/8"

Richard Thurston's 1929 Penmanship Practice gift for kids I'd think a spice box--theA far cry from the gorgeous 18th century penmanship notebooks I recently posted, but still, the art of practicing letters was alive and well in 1929, and Richard Page Thurston was trying hard, though I do notice his penmanship goes somewhat downhill rather than getting better as he progresses through this stack of exercises, joined with a simple brass butterfly clip at top. What I especially like about these is the repetition of a single letter over