354:, an album published in New York in 1869, which contained the place for a photograph as well as the set of questions (a combination already found in Jenny Marx's album). The albums seem to have enjoyed their greatest popularity in the following decades, but to have become unfashionable by the early years of the twentieth century. At their height, confession albums were widespread enough that in 1883
20:
305:
765:, Paris: Hachette, 1872, 101 "Voici en quoi consiste l'opération: On adresse au malheureux interrogé une série de questions auxquelles il doit répondre successivement. – Quel poëte? quelle occupation? quel plaisir? quelle sensation, etc., etc., préférez-vous? Les réponses sont inscrites, puis la personne signe, date son interrogatoire et le tour est joué."
483:("Friends book"), which much like the confession album come preprinted with a set of questions about the respondents' hobbies, idols and wishes. Some children prefer the new format, which says more about the person answering, but most prefer the traditional autograph book, which leaves more room for their own creativity. The modern German
317:, included questions that resemble those of the confession albums (for instance "Which is your favourite flower?", "Which is your favourite historical character?"), including sexually distinguished questions appropriate to courtship (for instance, "What is the character of your lady love?", "What is the character of him you love?").
39:
popular in late-nineteenth-century
Britain. Instead of leaving free room for invented or remembered poetry, it provided a formulaic catechism. The genre died out towards the end of the century, with occasional brief revivals in the twentieth century. The same kind of form is now found in the Dutch
433:
Here is what the operation consists of: you pose a series of questions to the unfortunate subject of the interrogation and he has to answer them one after the other. – What poet, what painter, what occupation, what pleasure, what sensation, etc. etc. do you prefer? The answers are written down, then
539:
A slam book is a notebook (commonly the spiral-bound type) which is passed among children and teenagers. The keeper of the book starts by posing a question (which may be on any subject) and the book is then passed round for each contributor to fill in their own answer to the question.
509:(his answers were auctioned in 2003 for $ 34,000). Interest in Proust led to a later revival of the questions as a kind of formulaic interview for celebrities, first by LĂ©once Peillard in France in the 1950s, later in French and American television and in the magazine of the German
345:
I have a whole book filled up in that way and the answers are very amusing when compared with one another. These
Confession books have put albums and stamp books quite into the shade. … I should much like to have answers. It is more interesting and amusing than a mere Autograph.
60:
The questions posed in a confession album varied from volume to volume. A typical set of questions, in a book from the 1860s, is given below along with the answers of one respondent (see picture, right). The same set of questions were presented to Queen
Victoria's second son,
624:. Marx filled out answers on two other occasions, including one for his daughter Jenny's confession album, the book from which Engels' confession is taken. Omura et al. (2005) contains a facsimile of this album with some commentary and a (slightly inaccurate) transcription.
399:
The confession-book, I suppose, has disappeared. It is twenty years since I have seen one. As a boy I told some inquisitive owner what was my favourite food (porridge, I fancy), my favourite hero in real life and in fiction, my favourite virtue in woman, and so forth.
290:
Among the questions found in other albums, several seem designed to help courtship, sometimes with a reflection of changing relations between the sexes, for instance "What is your opinion of the girl of the period?", " What is your opinion of the man of the period?"
408:
as an opportunity to revive the confession book. The new albums, unlike their
Victorian predecessors, ignored questions appropriate to courtship. They were clearly intended to be filled out by soldiers, a point spelt out in the title of one:
341:, which contains entries dated from 1865 to 1870. For some of these, she sent the questions to friends, asking them to fill them out and return them. Her comments in a letter of November 1865 suggest that she regarded the genre as a novelty:
312:
The origins of the confession album are unclear. Samantha
Matthews notes the similarity to oracle games of the first half of the nineteenth century (she cites examples from 1810 to 1852). These interactive books, which bore titles such as
336:
1848). Early albums often had blank pages into which owners would paste the questionnaires; the questions on these could be preprinted or handwritten. One such album, with handwritten questions, was that of Karl Marx's daughter
918:. A collection of confessions by famous nineteenth century figures (with discussion): Cézanne, Debussy, Engels, Mallarmé, Marx, Proust. As Kohlbecher (2007) notes, the author's name ("avows everything") seems to be a pseudonym.
620:, London: Lawrence and Wishart, vol. 42 (1987), 567 and 674 (Marx); vol 43 (1988), 541 (Engels). For online transcriptions of the Marx and Engels confessions, and a reproduction of his entry in Jenny's confession book, see
376:
of the confessional, did any of you ever come under the torture of that modern
Inquisition, the 'Confession Book?'" Early twentieth century writers look back on the books as a long unfashionable genre. A writer in 1915
577:, London: T. Fisher Unwin (1910), 148-51, with the comment: "It is not often that Royalty honours one of those irritating social tortures entitled 'An Album of Confessions to Record Thoughts and Feelings.'" (
381:
So far as I can recollect it was voted a bore at the end of the 'seventies and, except in suburban homes, such as my own, was never referred to except with a yawn or a smile after the early eighties.
421:
According to Henry d'Ideville, he had an "album-questionnaire" in which he collected the responses of friends and acquaintances in 1861, when as a diplomat in Naples he took the answers of
521:
since 1993, under the name of "The Proust
Questionnaire", which disguises its unintellectual British origins. This use too had been anticipated by nineteenth century journals (see
475:
In the
Netherlands, where autograph books are very popular among young schoolchildren, publishers have recently started bringing out an alternative in the so-called
446:("Know Yourself"), which first appeared in 1878 and survived to around 1900, going through at least 22 impressions, produced by Friedrich Kirchner (1848–1900). The
350:
By the end of the decade, the printed and bound confession book had been introduced. The earliest currently known example with a printed publication date is
429:, which he reproduces. His account, written in 1872, explains the nature of the album, as though he did not expect readers to be familiar with it:
805:
62:
442:
above), and (perhaps in imitation of them) there were also questionnaire books in other languages. In
Germany there were several, notably
211:
933:
320:
Whatever their origins, confession albums were an established form by the 1860s: Henry d'Ideville records using an album in 1861 (see
450:, which belonged to the same publishers as Kirchner's album, set his questions to celebrities, a forerunner of the modern use of the
915:
897:
391:
in 1906 remarks: "'If not yourself, who would you rather be?' was a favourite question of the confession album of the seventies."
387:
943:
655:
New York: Leypoldt & Holt (1869). See
Kolhbecher (2007), 25-6; 28-9; 32. The questions elicited a satirical response from
511:
426:
680:, Melbourne and Sydney: George Robertson (1883), 39-40. The poem is quoted and discussed in Matthews (2000), 139-40.
454:; facsimiles of these answers were in turn printed on the album. In France, two are known, both containing the word
963:
48:("friendship book"), used by small children; and the questions that the confession album contained live on in the
937:
573:
The earliest dated answer in the album pictured is 1868. Prince Alfred's answers are given in A.M. Broadley,
487:("Friendship book") has the same kind of preprinted questions and is typically aimed at the same age group.
958:
763:
Journal d'un diplomate en Italie, Notes intimes pour servir Ă l'historie du second empire, Turin 1859-1862
517:
730:
London: Hurst & Brackett (1905), 25, speculates about a future revival of the "old confession book".
505:, then a child of fourteen, filled out the answers to an English confession album, which bore the title
496:
49:
372:
This ubiquity was accompanied by a certain exasperation. In a novel of 1886, a character asks: "
358:
could rely on readers' familiarity with the form to play on it with a poetical answer. He begins:
817:
333:
911:
893:
801:
929:
881:
Samantha Matthews (2000), "Psychological Crystal Palace? Late Victorian Confession Albums",
689:
329:
858:
422:
578:
664:
355:
70:
36:
890:
Familie Marx privat, Die Foto- und Fragebogen-Alben von Marx' Töchtern Laura und Jenny
952:
842:
502:
338:
66:
328:
filled out answers to one in the spring of 1865 (his favourite colour was red); and
19:
726:
s.v. "confession" III.9 and in Matthews (2000), 132; similarly Jerome K. Jerome,
711:
Really & Truly: A Book of Literary Confessions: Designed by a Late-Victorian
405:
392:
304:
875:
656:
653:
Mental Photographs. An Album for Confessions of Tastes, Habits and Convictions
395:(1882–1956) looked back in 1921 on the album as something from his childhood:
534:
325:
888:
Izumi Omura, Valerij FomiÄŤev, Rolf Hecker and Shun-ichi Kubo, eds. (2005),
462:
set confession album questions to the famous, including Zola and Verlaine.
676:
D. A. B. Sladen, "A Confession. (Written for a Lady's Character Book)" in
697:
434:
the person signs and dates his interrogation and that's the game over.
870:
Guido Kohlbecher (2007), "Das Fragebogenalbum des 19. Jahrhunderts",
713:
London: Arthur L. Humphreys (1915), 7, cited in Matthews (2000), 132.
694:
A heart-song of to-day (disturbed by fire from the 'unruly member')
458:
in the title to represent the English "confessions". Here to the
366:
With iron will and eye sublime, up to the heights of empire climb;
303:
906:, Paris: Éditions Belin; German translation by J. Kunze (1990),
438:
British confession albums also circulated on the continent (see
368:
Although in woman, as I think, gentleness is perfection's pink
872:
Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft fĂĽr Buchforschung in Ă–sterreich
783:
M. Van den Berg, "Zur Erinnerung, Poesiealben aus Flandern",
507:
Confessions. An Album to Record Thoughts, Feelings, &c.
362:
My favorite virtue, I confess, is chivalrous devotedness,
590:
Touttavoult (1990), 14-17 (Proust) and 138-9 (Debussy).
364:
My favorite quality in man, the manful genius that can
332:
answered another in 1868 (his idea of happiness was
308:
The cover of a confession album from the late 1860s
75:
800:, illustrated by Sven Nordquist, Oetinger (2005),
250:What characters in history do you most dislike?
245:Having a stout and stupid person to dance with.
237:Arthur. Herbert. Catherine. Edith. Josephine.
315:The Young Lady's Oracle: A Fireside Amusement
8:
618:Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Collected Works
154:A country squire with a comfortable income.
696:, Toronto: Hunter Rose (1886), Chapter 31 (
798:Pettersson und Findus - Alle meine Freunde
16:Book for recording the opinions of friends
451:
266:For what fault have you most toleration?
18:
549:
522:
321:
183:Your favourite painters and composers.
787:44 (1999), 247-59 (on this point 249).
261:In a state of delightful uncertainty.
199:Your favourite heroines in real life.
659:, "Mental Photographs", published in
63:Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
52:often used for celebrity interviews.
7:
258:What is your present state of mind?
218:Your favourite heroines in fiction.
191:Your favourite heroes in real life.
130:Doing an act of kindness for anyone
663:, London: Routledge (1872), 148-9 (
621:
253:Richard III & Oliver Cromwell.
151:If not yourself, who would you be?
138:A fashionable dinner party in Town
103:Your favourite qualities in woman.
229:Haunch of Venison & "Madeira"
207:Your favourite heroes in fiction.
143:Your favourite colour and flower.
14:
599:Matthews (2000), 137-8; 141; 145.
411:My Brave Friend's Confession Book
95:Your favourite qualities in man.
556:So called by e. g. A. A. Milne,
910:, Stuttgart, Patricia Schwarz,
226:Your favourite food and drink.
98:Fearlessness & Uprightness
774:Kohlbecher (2007), 28-9; 33-4.
564:, London: Methuen (1922), 180.
560:, London: Methuen (1921), 79;
512:Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
439:
167:Your favourite prose authors.
159:Where would you like to live?
44:("friends book"), and German
23:A page from a confession album
1:
928:Confession album entries for
752:Matthews (2000), 132; 147-51.
743:, London: Methuen (1921), 79.
448:Leipziger Illustrirte Zeitung
170:Lord Macaulay & Dickens.
942:Confession album answers by
902:Fabrice Touttavoult (1988),
785:Acta Ethnographica Hungarica
515:, starting in 1980, and in
119:Your chief characteristic.
111:Your favourite occupation.
106:Constancy & Affability
980:
833:Kohlbecher (2007), 25; 29.
532:
494:
277:"No rose without thorns."
194:Wellington & Havelock
892:Berlin: Akademie Verlag,
724:Oxford English Dictionary
642:Omura et al. (2005), 24-5
404:Some album producers saw
608:Matthews (2000), 126-30.
178:Byron & Longfellow.
127:Your idea of happiness.
146:Violet - The Moss-rose
87:Your favourite virtue.
843:"Proust Questionnaire"
700:at Project Gutenberg).
633:Kohlbecher (2007), 26.
436:
402:
383:
370:
348:
309:
175:Your favourite poets.
24:
661:Mark Twain's Sketches
431:
397:
379:
360:
343:
307:
274:Your favourite motto
234:Your favourite names
202:The Sisters of Mercy
186:Reubens & Handel
135:Your idea of misery.
22:
558:Not that it Matters
497:Proust Questionnaire
491:Proust Questionnaire
452:Proust Questionnaire
444:Erkenne Dich Selbst!
50:Proust Questionnaire
741:Not that it Matters
575:Chats on Autographs
300:Britain and America
242:Your pet aversion.
210:Oliver Twist &
69:around 1885 and to
728:Idle Ideas in 1905
523:Germany and France
417:Germany and France
352:Mental Photographs
322:Germany and France
310:
221:None known to me.
25:
964:Victorian culture
806:978-3-7891-1330-7
678:Australian Lyrics
651:R. Saxton (ed.),
485:Freundschaftsbuch
288:
287:
46:Freundschaftsbuch
971:
934:Friedrich Engels
846:
840:
834:
831:
825:
816:L. Van Gelder, "
814:
808:
794:
788:
781:
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772:
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737:
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690:Annie G. Savigny
687:
681:
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667:at archive.org).
649:
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631:
625:
615:
609:
606:
600:
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591:
588:
582:
581:at archive.org).
571:
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471:Friendship books
330:Friedrich Engels
76:
35:, was a kind of
29:confession album
979:
978:
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423:Urbano Rattazzi
419:
388:Daily Chronicle
367:
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334:Château Margaux
302:
297:
58:
33:confession book
17:
12:
11:
5:
977:
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824:, May 5, 2003.
822:New York Times
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722:Quoted in the
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938:marxists.org
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562:Once a Week
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477:vriendenboek
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427:Mme de Solms
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90:Benevolence
65:in 1873, to
59:
45:
42:vriendenboek
41:
32:
28:
26:
908:Bekentnisse
904:Confessions
518:Vanity Fair
456:Confidences
406:World War I
393:A. A. Milne
953:Categories
885:3, 125-54.
865:References
657:Mark Twain
529:Slam Books
269:Slowness.
930:Karl Marx
874:, 25-35 (
544:Footnotes
535:Slam book
501:In 1886,
440:Questions
326:Karl Marx
79:Question
73:in 1889.
56:Questions
853:See also
466:Revivals
413:(1915).
377:records:
374:A propos
324:below);
122:Reserve
295:History
114:Riding
82:Answer
914:
896:
876:online
804:
698:online
665:online
579:online
709:C.F.
339:Jenny
31:, or
932:and
912:ISBN
894:ISBN
802:ISBN
425:and
385:The
27:The
936:at
820:",
525:).
479:or
955::
878:).
692:,
845:.
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