The facsimile is of a of sketch entitled "My book and friend," by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, drawn in 1829. Longfellow studied in Europe for three years following his graduation from Bowdoin College.

The friend he refers to is Edward Deering Preble, a neighbor of the Longfellows in Portland.

This sketch was drawn in Goettingen, Germany, where Longfellow spent some time during his travels studying at the University there.

The original of the sketch is at the Craigie House, the Longfellow National Historic Site in Cambridge, Massachusetts.