One thing I am always on the hunt for is writing of some sort. Postcards, notes, letters...anything handwritten. I have always been fascinated by the handwritten word. What was David thinking about when he was scribbling that note to Iris on the Hotel Burton letterhead notepad? He sent his condolences for the loss of a friend and invited her to visit him in Danville. But what was really behind that letter? And what were Iris's thoughts when she opened that envelope and read those words? I like to put myself in the place of the writer/reader and feel what they felt, think what they thought. So much can be told by studying one's penmanship.
When visiting the old report cards, you can't help but wonder how many report cards that teacher filled out before she got to this card? What were her thoughts on this student - William? Who was she, the teacher? What type of impact did she leave on this young man's life?
I guess I like to fancy myself a writer and as a writer, character development and storylines are fascinating - whether in the fictional world or the nonfictional. Envelopes and letterheads and even the formal typewritten correspondence is so fascinating in the eyes of this writer. Gone are the days when so much was put into the handwritten letter. Gone are the days of letterheads and envelopes and typewriters. Technology has taken the emotion out of the basic letter.
A lot of the handwritten ephemera pieces I have come from one family. Apparently, they were a married couple and both were teachers/professors of some sort. The wife appeard to be a poet of sorts. I find little snippets of poetry and verses stuffed among book pages and in envelopes. They were used as place markers in magazines and old textbooks. She wrote poetry to a friend of hers. Apparently, she had a falling out with this friend and she wrote a poem to the friend (Edna) expressing how fond she remained of the memories they shared. She expressed how empty her world was when Edna went off and created her own home leaving poor Pearl behind. There must have been an age gap between the two or Pearl got a little later start on creating her own home. Whatever the situation was, it reallly affected Pearl. Her heart was still bruised, even after so many years.
As silly as it may sound, I feel like I understand the urgency in the letter by the way it was folded - maybe even the formality. Some are basically crumpled and stuffed into an envelope while others are folded to create a perfect fit. How straight are the edges? What kind of haste was there to get this letter to its destination. What was the sender thinking as they dropped that envelope into the box at the Post Office?
School notes, love letters, formal letters to customers - they all have their own energy about them. They speak in their own voices if you "read between the lines." You can see who was trying to display their best penmanship and who was in a hurry. Notes to one's self are always in a special kind of "scribble." It's as if they want to write beautifully because they enjoy certain bits of their own penmanship but they may not have time to really put their full focus on the "writing" of the note while they rush to accomplish the mission of the note. Yet, revisiting that note you have written may bring you joy when you notice how nicely the curve of that "a" looks and how fluid the words flow together.
I guess I've done all this rambling to let you know that I've added a digital kit full of vintage (for the most part - one note from the 90s was just too cute NOT to include!) handwritten and typed pieces. I hope you find as much joy in them as I have! There are lots of checks from the early 1900s and terrific poetry and letters!
Thanks for stopping by! And, as always, thank you for your support!!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1271229030/the-handwritten-word-42pc-digital?click_key=3b3078179f0a721d6808d1d1afd99ac3d58a1e0f%3A1271229030&click_sum=6f2f23b0&ref=shop_home_active_1
~M
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