Spanish calligraphy manuscript

An unknown 13-year-old created this calligraphy manuscript sometime in the mid-nineteenth century. The writer was probably female, as indicated by longer passages at the end that referred to the daughter (“hija”) and used feminine possessive pronouns. “Jta.” may have been an abbreviation for “Juanita.”

The creator first practiced her calligraphy by copying out the alphabet, then by copying out lists of words in alphabetical order (e.g. “Escena. Feo. Galgos. Higo.”). The last two pages contain longer passages on respect for one’s parents and religious matters. The creator referred to several Biblical figures, including Herod (“Herodes”) and Holofernes. She also referenced several place names, including Madrid, Cartagena, Guadalajara, and Granada. In the last passage, the creator used “vuestra” (second person plural, “your”) and habláis (second person plural, “you all say”) which are grammatical forms typically used in Spain and not Latin America.

The manuscript is a sixteenmo with 22 leaves of text written in ink on the rectos only. It has a black leather cover with gilt-stamped ornamentation on the front and back and marbled end pages.