Before the internet, handwritten notes were more commonplace. According to the New York Post, only one in five Americans admitted that they still wrote notes by hand. Not the case in the 1400 to 1800’s in Europe, a time when many voices were not recorded in history books, but are preserved in letters located in the Hague in the Netherlands, the Vatican Secret Archives, The British Prize Collection, the Bodleian Library in the UK, MIT, and elsewhere. Locked letters were sent by royalty, pirates, military spies, religious refugees, as well as common everyday people.

At this time in history, it was expensive to send a letter, envelopes were not yet invented, and in order to keep one’s message private, various ways of folding and sealing letters were invented to keep them from prying eyes. This method of protecting information is now called letter-locking, a term coined by Jana Dambrogio from MIT. Watch the free virtual exhibit on line at brienne.org called “Signed Sealed and Undelivered”.

Letter-Locking has a unique language all it’s own. Signifiers like wax seals, colored string, colored marks on paper, letter folds and creases, slits, additions of things like feathers or hair, all tell unwritten stories. For instance, triangle letters from Russian soldiers during the Great War might not have had many words, but upon receipt, their families knew they were alive. Letter-locked letters are sometimes sealed and require a cut or a tear to open. It can be exciting to break open the seal to read them. People who sent letters of condolence often sealed their letters with black sealing wax. Some letters were written in cypher or code to prevent others from obtaining secret information.

Some writers are striving to include letter locked letters modified to pass through our modern post offices, sometimes requiring more postage, but a delight to receive. One of those people is John Bosley who created the “Stationery Orbit” podcast.  Many organizations are promoting handwritten letters in 2021. There are several Letter Writing Correspondence groups who promote letter writing and welcome you to participate. One such group is the Arizona Correspondence Society.

Other groups promote letter writing and have chosen February as National Letter Writing Month. One group promotes “International Correspondence Writing Month” otherwise known as InCoWriMo. LetterMo is another group also promoting one letter a day in February, a goal to strive toward but not strictly adhered to. So you do what you can! Pen pals are provided by both of these groups. You can add your name to their lists if you wish. Girls Love Mail is a letter writing group specifically for comforting women diagnosed with breast cancer. Other groups who exchange mail can be found on Facebook.

The excitement of receiving a letter written by hand is catching. It takes more effort, care and thought to sit down and write a letter which conveys to the recipient that they are valued and worthy of such time and effort. How much more exciting would it be to receive a “secret” message in a locked letter! Whether or not you choose to lock your letter, or just send a cheery note, studies show that the benefits of writing letters is a documented activity which benefits the writer and the recipient. Check out the July 17, 2021 article in REAL SIMPLE concerning the benefits of handwritten letters. Letters can be printed or written in your normal writing, although some include art, calligraphy, and enclosures with their letters.

I challenge you to give letter writing a try! Along the way, I hope you send and receive a secret locked letter!

Janet Faught is an instructor for Continuing Education and Community Engagement , University of Utah.  She regularly teaches various art classes such as calligraphy and correspondence art courses.  Learn more about Janet by clicking here.

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