This neat site discusses something I’d never really thought about much before. How folks protected letters from the prying eyes of other before the invention of the envelope.
They used a combination of sealing wax and along with elaborate folding and cutting of slits called letterlocking. The skill required to carry this off properly is as impressive as old-school cursive writing.
You’ll meet Jana Dambrogio, a librarian who has spent a decade studying the various styles of letterlocking and some of the historically important communications it was used to protect. Famous letterlockers include Galileo, Machiavelli, and Marie Antoinette.
The site includes photos of the styles of letterlocking and interesting stories about how it was used and the folks who are working hard to preserve these important documents.
Click here to check it out: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-did-people-do-before-envelopes-letterlocking
Very Interesting and a new thing to learn today. Thanks.