#oldletters

[elfriedeandjohan]

This is letter number 27, and the last letter in the first envelope of letters I have. 🌸⁠ ⁠ The first envelope contains the letters that Elfriede and Johan sent to each other during their first three months of acquaintance, april - juni 1920. In total I have 20 envelopes with around 3 - 30 letters in each that were sent between 1920 - 1941. 🍃 ⁠ ⁠ To maybe clarify some confusion. Johan goes by several names in the letters. Johan, Olle and Hanni. Olle being a nickname derived from his last name, but also a very common Swedish name. 📝⁠ ⁠ Ängelholm 29/6 - 1920 - From Johan.⁠ ⁠ "Dear Elfriede!⁠ ⁠ Your letter makes me happy. Many thanks. ⁠ I could eat pancakes with lingonberries ⁠ for every meal.⁠ ⁠ I have only a few minutes at my disposal⁠ and that's why I have to keep it short.⁠ ⁠ Next Sunday at 10:27 I will arrive at Ovesholm. You meet me, and and we'll walk to Lille Paris, right? As you⁠ want!⁠ ⁠ Greetings and goodbye!⁠ Hanni" 🌸⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #truelove #oldletters #geneology #lettersfromourpast #1900s #1900 #1920s #1920 #history #lovestyory #ancestors #ancestry #heritagte #swedishhistory #sweden #familyarchives #letters #historicallove #ängelholm #elfriedeandjohan⁠ #lovestory⁠ https://www.instagram.com/p/CV7iWstM9jm/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mytypeamsterdam]

Wijkgebouw der Nederd herv Gementee, Van Ostadestraat 153, Amsterdam

Dating from 1913 and designed by Christiaan Posthumus Meyjes sr, also the architect of nearby Oranjekerk, built a decade earlier.

[hannakissoon-blog]

~It’s just a simple photo that tells a story. Up to you as to how you would like the story to be told. Hope I get some love❤️ . . . . . . . . ~Ensure to like and follow . . . . P.s. I LOVE YOU❤️ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #creativitymatters #flowers #earpiece #oldletters #cup #lovephotography #mobilephotography #staysafe #lovealways #peaceofmind #breakfastideas https://www.instagram.com/p/CBLc9VEDuoU/?igshid=1bny24ue9kvvr

[fiachesq]

life is more true than reason will deceive (more secret or than madness did reveal) deeper is life than lose:higher than have –but beauty is more each than living’s all multiplied with infinity sans if the mightiest meditations of mankind canceled are by one merely opening leaf (beyond whose nearness there is no beyond) or does some littler bird than eyes can learn look up to silence and completely sing? futures are obsolete:pasts are unborn (here less than nothing’s more than everything) death,as men call him, ends what they call men -but beauty is more now than dying’s when- ee Cummings . . . . . #poetry #eecummings #eecummingsquote #poem #oldletters (at Glasgow, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/B68y_qpASlk/?igshid=kdwsyrofgsm6

[emilycollageart]

Number 3 from my guns in every day life series. I’m a BB gun owner so I know what it is like when it malfunctions and the little plastic balls go everywhere. #gunsineverydaylife #gunsafety #nomoreguns #vintagepaper #oldletters #politicalcollage #art #contemporaryart #mixedmedia #collage #collageart #analogcollage #collagenottinghill #loveanalogcollage #collagist #handmadecollage #contemporarycollage #cutandpaste #thecollagetemple #artistofinstagram #コラージ#collageoftheday #twincitiescollagecollective #design #theinternationalcollageguild#contemporarycollagemagazine #edinburghcollagecollective #papersource #analogcollagecommunity #xacto https://www.instagram.com/p/CklGC0bKtjw/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[weemsbotts]

The Botts Family Penpals: Joy & Sorrow in the 1880s

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

Delving into family letters is always thrilling as little gems of historical knowledge are scattered throughout the correspondence. Unique to The Weems-Botts Museum, our collection contains numerous family files on the Weems and Botts. Both families have maintained their connections and generously donated family objects and records to our museum. Below are three letters from the 1880s spanning every two to three years that demonstrate not only how the family’s social sphere evolved, but also how the family processed grief, reliving and sharing their attempts to save a life.

(HDVI Botts Family Files: Although not transcribed below, this letter indicates how the family preserved it over time with different handwriting and notes recording family data)

01/27/1883

“Dear Cousin Lizzie,

Doubtless you think I am very remiss in not answering your letter sooner. I have wanted to do so for sometime, but do you know I did not know until last week that you were married, so didn’t know how to direct your letter, but as I have found out you were Madam Moncure I will put off writing no longer. I am truly sorry to hear there is so much sickness in your neighborhood. I noticed in the papers that there were several cases of small pox in S. Did any one whom I know have it? I thought often of you the day of your marriage and wished I could step in & be with you all, for I should have enjoyed it oh! so much. Am so glad you received so many handsome presents. Have been hoping you would write & give one an account of it as you promised. Your letters formerly were few and far between & I am afraid you are so taken up with Mr. Moncure, Cousin George I should have said, that you will cease to remember that you ever had a Cousin living in Rappahannock. I trust thought such will not be the case.

I attended a reception at Dr. Millans, given Cousin Annie the night before her marriage. Oh yes! There I met with a Mr. Wallace. He is pastor of the Episcopal church in Fairfax. After engaging in conversation with him for some time I found out that he had lived in Stafford & knew you all very well, so you may know I was glad to meet him. I liked him very much. Cousin Walker Moffett will be married the 22nd of February to a Miss Dudley of this County. I am invited to wait on them so you must think of us that day. I hear from Miss Edna very often. In one of her letters she sent love and good wishes to you. All the relations are well & often enquire after you. I rather expect to go up to Cousin Rannie [Hite’s] next week to spend several days. Cannot you & Mr. M. come up to see us this spring? We would be so delight to see you both.

Give my love to Bettie & tell her I would be delighted to have her pay me a visit in my mountain home. Mother & Father join me in love to you & Mrs. M. & they say they shall certainly expect you both to pay us a visit this spring.

Give my love to all at Woodstock. Please write me a long long letter very soon. 

Yours Lovingly,

Fordie Botts”

04/15/1885

“My dear Cousin,

Your sweet letter of love & sympathy was received & appreciated by us both, for the sympathy of friends in this the darkest & dreariest hour of our lives is to be prized. I know you can enter into my feelings for you too have given up a loving & loved father, oh! it is so hard to realize that my precious, my darling Father is never to be with us again – it was all so sudden & so unexpected, that the shock was almost crushing. He had been so well up to the evening before he died, when he ate his dinner as usual, then went in the garden to sow some seed, but in a short time came in suffering most violently with pain his breast, & Mother sent at once for Dr. Millan – who came, & gave an emetic which relieved him to a great extent – the Dr. left that evening saying he was much better, but he would come back next morning to see him – left some medicine for him to take which Mother gave him, & was as much himself as he ever was in his life.

Next morning, I went in to see him, & when I kissed him & inquired how he was said in his same loving tone that he ever used when speaking to one. “Well Baby I feel better but still have this pain in my breast” – after that he sat up a short time by the fire walked back to bed & after Mother put the cover over him he remarked to her, “You have fixed me so comfortably, I am not sick enough to stay in bed today, but think I will for I feel restless,” then asked for some water, she went to the mantlepiece to get it when he breathed in a peculiar manner & by the time she could get to him he had breathed his last, yet we thought then he had fainted – we did everything for him & Mother had strengthen given her to stay & do everything until the Dr. got here – she even raised him in bed & held him up whilst I put his feet in a hot mustard bath – then mustard plasters for his feet & wrists, but oh! nothing could do him any good, but we felt it could not be so, it was such a shock, also sudden. He was talking to Mother only a moment before he breathed his last, telling her to be careful & not take cold for he was afraid she would get sick too, if the Drs. say his death was caused from Apoplexy.

Mother has not been well since – she is so crushed with sorrow & so hard for her to bear. Ours is such a sad home, he was so much to us both, such a loving, thoughtful, devoted husband & no daughter ever was more blessed in a Father than I was in mine. He was everything to us both, & we were so happy together – in the last two weeks it seems to me as if I have lived a life time of sorrow. We feel assured that he is at rest for he was a devoted Christian & with him it was but a step from earth to heaven. Now that he is with the precious Saviour in whom he trusted & loved it is wrong to wish him back, but our hearts so yearn for his loved presence & tis so hard to bow submissively to the will of God. Yet tis sweet to know ‘He doth not willingly afflict his children, & whom the Lord’…” [rest of letter not available]

 04/25/1888

“My dear Cousin,

Your long looked for letter was received sometime ago, & you cant imagine how delighted I was to hear from you once more. I had come to the conclusion that you had ceased to care for me since your marriage. Am glad to see that such is not the case. Mother & I are alone tonight, Father having gone to Culpeper, and I will spend a while in writing to you. Mother has been so much complaining all the spring, suffers so much with Neuralgia. She has it badly tonight. I suppose you are busy with your housekeeping & chickens. I hope the chickens will soon be so that you can leave them, & you can pay us that long promised visit. I am looking forward with much pleasure to it.

I am sorry to hear you all were not successful at your festival. The Episcopalian had a festival in Woodville Easter Monday & cleared fifty five dollars, which I think was doing splendidly for our village. They are going to paint their church. I went out to Woodville this morning to hear Bishop [Peterkin], & I was charmed with his sermon. There were two confirmed.

This is Cousin Willie Yancey’s wedding day. He married a Miss Stevenson of Georgetown. He will go to Norfolk on a bridal tour, & will bring his bride home Saturday. All are right well at Uncle Daniel’s & often inquire after you. Aunt Hittie told me that I must giver her love to you and Mrs. Moncure. I hear from Miss Enda very often. She will make me a visit some time during her vacation.

Miss Fannie Edrington sent me word she was certainly going to pay me a visit this summer. I sincerely hope she will not take it out in talking. Give my love to her. I must stop for tonight as my head is aching so badly; will try & finish this in the morning.

Thursday night.

I intended finishing my letter this morning, but was kept so busy all day that I did not have time to write.

Cousin Fick Moffett has not been up to see us for a long time. She expects to come up with Cousin Johnnie the 2nd Sunday as he preaches for Mr. Noland, our minister, then, Mr. Noland having to be out of the state for a few weeks. Mother & Father join me in love to you & Mr. M. & we hope to have [written on side of first page]: promised visit this summer. Remember me to Bettie & Mrs. Moncure. Now Cousin Lizzie please turn over a new leaf & write to me oftener. Tell Mr. M. please to remember you of me occasionally & perhaps you will write.

Lovingly,

Annie F. Botts

[written on side of fourth page]: Remember me to any of my friends who may inquire for me. Tell Mr. Moncure we will certainly expect him to bring you up to see us this summer.”

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, mustard plaster was seen as a counter irritant to alleviate inflammation and pain. By causing a blister to form away from the source of ailment, the blood would be drawn to the artificial inflammation and away from the afflicted parts of the body. Manufactures directed consumers to leave the plaster on for twenty minutes, one to three times a day, and recommended it for everything from diarrhea to paralysis. The use of the mustard plant has a ridiculously long history ranging back to ancient civilizations such as the Sumerians, Chinese, and Egyptians. By the 19th and 20th centuries, doctors considered mustard plaster as one of the first lines of defense in treating various ailments and encouraged it as a home remedy. Towards the end of the 20th century, manufacturers moved away from advocating burns as a treatment method. Bath mustards were different in their use as the treatments supposedly calmed “female hysteria” and led to rejuvenation. Although ultimately in vain, the Botts family clearly showed ingenuity and resourcefulness by using both treatments showing how people adapted products for their everyday and emergency uses.

Presumably addressed to the same cousin, these letters from Mountain View provide snapshots of life in 1883, 1885, and 1888, as our writer shared family news that both contracted and expanded her family. People often hold the misperception that social spheres were smaller in the 1800s, when we know that families and friends engaged in social connections across the state and country. Whether guilting her cousin for not writing enough or sharing the details of a loved one’s passing, these letters help us watch an American family evolve.

Special thanks to the Botts family, Barbara Kirby, and the staff of Historic Prince William for their wonderful and generous sharing of resources.

Note: Our Bibliophiles program feature everything from antiheroes to monsters in August and September! It is not too late to sign up and receive this month’s selection of tea from the local Occoquan tea shop, Leaf & Petal, as we send both the fresh leaves and story links. Why not join us from the comfort of your home to enjoy tea, literature, history, and great discussions. Sit back, relax, and make your Saturday morning epic. Program events page here.

(Sources: HDVI Archives, Botts Family Files; UVA: Historical Collections at the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library: Patients’ View in Early 19th Century Virginia: Letters to Dr. James Carmichael & Son – Introducing the Doctors – Pharmacy – Tools of the Trade, http://carmichael.lib.virginia.edu/story/tools.html; World History: American History: Brief History of Mustard Plasters, https://worldhistory.us/american-history/brief-history-of-mustard-plasters.php; Sunderland, Helen. Unintended Research Finds: The Mustard Bath. Doing History in Public, https://doinghistoryinpublic.org/2018/08/07/unintended-research-finds-the-mustard-bath/)

[caligrafialeogarcia]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Leonardo García | Caligrafía (@leogarciacaligrafia)

-Caligrafía Copperplate con lápiz. Canal YouTube: Leo García Caligrafía Arte. -Copperplate Calligraphy with pencil. YouTube Channel: Leo García Caligrafía Arte. #caligrafia #caligrafía #calligraphy #copperplate #letrainglesa #plumaoblicua #obliquepen #lettering #letters #ink #tinta #oldletters #inglesacopperplate #letras #tipography #tipografia #ilovecalligraphy #handmade #handmadeletters #handlettering #calligraffiti #ancientletters #typographyinspired #caligrafiacopperplate #copperplatecalligraphy #50words (en Bogotá, Colombia)

[mcnbooks-blog]

Letter from Benin City, Nigeria to Oxford, UK. 10 December, 1962. Found in a 1947 paperback edition of England Made Me by Graham Greene.

[cameracrate]

Came across this fascinating letter today from #Pathescope hidden alongside some 9.5mm film! #9mmfilm #vintageletters #oldletters https://www.instagram.com/p/CGDD2UbF6gS/?igshid=w7rxwc5h4xv8

[thekhwabeeda]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Thekhwabeeda (@thekhwabeeda_)

French round hand Script, after a long time ✨ #workinprogress Thought to share a bit of that again with the good old vibe🤎 . . . . . . . . . . #reelsinstagram #reels #reelsvideo #reelsindia #calligraphy #calligraphypractice #calligraphyart #calligraphyvideo #calligraphyvideos #artistsoninstagram #artoftheday #someinspiration #believeinyourself #followyourheart #handlettered #vintage #oldvintage #retro #oldletters #findyourownhappiness #createdtocreate #createtoinspire https://www.instagram.com/reel/CE_qIQKn5dj/?igshid=10emogh0tn2ow

[fundacjaanalizsztuki-blog]

Druga ilustracja z niemieckiej dziewiętnastowiecznej (poł. XIX w.) publikacji "Jugend-Album" pochodząca z kolekcji prywatnej. #sztuka #art #kunst #arte #arthistory #historiasztuki #historyofart #book #książka #ilustracja #illustration #oldprints #oldletters #illuminatedletters #science #education #edukacja #nauka #ornaments #collection #fundacjaanalizsztuki #childrenbookillustration #artoftheday #loveart (w: Kraków, Poland) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFM5O_Ine8m/?igshid=1qrdo1vfslak1

[elfriedeandjohan]

My great-grandmother Elfriede moved to Sweden in April 1920. 🚂⁠ ⁠ She arrived in Sweden on this day, the 14th of April, a 101 years ago, to work for a German family who lived in Sweden. Her sister had moved to Sweden before her and had written to ask her if she wanted to come and work here too. ✉️⁠ ⁠ When she got off the train no one came to meet her. She was instead approached by a man who worked at the train station. She told him ”Ich kan nicht schwedisch sprechen”. 💬⁠ ⁠ To her great surprise he spoke German and he ended up helping her get to the family she was going to work for. 🏠 ⁠ The day after, on the 15th of April 1920, the man, who was my great-grandfather Johan wrote to Elfriede and asked if she would want to practice German with him. Maybe she wanted to practice her Swedish too? 📖⁠ ⁠ He was very cordial and asked her not to be angry with him for writing her, that he was not some "girl-chaser" but simply someone who enjoyed going for walks in nature who thought they could have a wonderful time together. 📝⁠ ⁠ Over the years they wrote hundreds of letters to each other, but this is the very first one. 💌⁠ ⁠ #truelove #oldletters #geneology #lettersfromourpast #1900s #1900 1920s #1920 #history #lovestory #ancestors #ancestry #heritage #swedishhistory #sweden #familyarchives #letters #historicallove #soulmates #ängelholm #elfriedeandjohan https://www.instagram.com/p/CNpE4zYpjaz/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mytypeamsterdam]

De Savornin Lohman School, 1e Helmersstraat 265 - 267, Amsterdam

[inthevintagekitchen]

I think I finally learned the beauty and joy of a decorated mantel from Little House on the Prairie. Ma used to put all of her prized possessions on the mantelpiece, not only for display, but also to remind herself that she once lived a different, less difficult non-frontier life. There was that one devastating episode where her prized figurine, the China Sherpardess (one of the few small fancies that was allowed space in the covered wagon) broke and Ma just about nearly lost all of her spirit right there on screen. I first saw this episode when I was like 5 or 6 and ever since I’ve loved the idea of a mantle cultivating matters of personal significance. Ma was never an artful designer but she was a thoughtful collector. I think that’s where I first learned that it was good to gather things that meant something. This platter, of unknown age, was made in Japan and traveled quite a distance throughout its life, eventually making its way here to the American South. I like how it can take on different aesthetics based on a variety of different arrangements. If you are a mantel lover and a collector of curiosities than you’ll love this platter too for its ability to highlight the significant stories of your life. Find it in the shop! . . . . . . #vignette #collecting #manteldecor #vignettestyling #littlehouseontheprairie #thingsicollect #oldletters #personaltaste #vintageplatter #oldphotos #handwrittenletters #vintagelife #cultivatingjoy https://www.instagram.com/p/CDzODUfJVSW/?igshid=6l5k1gvxbmkm

[mojganbaseri-blog]

I had the pleasure to have the state of Stanley Paley the filmmaker and film producer in the 1940’s he lived in Illinois and then in New York and Los Angeles parklabrea and this letter is from 1945 from metropolitan life insurance company ...... #metropolitan #lifeinsurance #oldletters #stanleypaleyphotos #filmmaker #filmproducers #collection #1945 #insurance #lifeinsurance #housing #parklabrea #museum https://www.instagram.com/p/CDNEcmFHInG/?igshid=m32kipa1j72o

[toropiski]

So it is, movement in stream of time, yesterday, today, tomorrow... .... #drawing #watercolour #ink #dancer #oldletters #dance #art #toropiski