Apparently an autograph album is “is a book for collecting the autographs of others. Traditionally they were exchanged among friends, colleagues, and classmates to fill with poems, drawings, personal messages, small pieces of verse, and other mementos.”
They were popular among university students from the 15th to mid-19th century, but have since been replaced by yearbooks.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who had that thought haha