As a mailman (not US) I handle alot of these with sealing wax, especially around the holidays. No secondary envelope needed. Not even sure if they go through "the machines" as we have manual handling aswell.
In the U.K. we’re told at the Post Office they won’t go through the mail. Also paper and string packages too aren’t allowed. Last week I decorated a parcel for my friend and they refused to accept it unless I stuck an awful plain label over the decor. I had hand stamped the address! Apparently machines read handwriting but my decorated stamping would be illegible 🙄
What I dig about this channel is, you focus on giving glimpses of everyday life in these time periods, rather than just big moments. Before I subbed, I never knew how drastically different food preparation, correspondence & even ingredient selection were from the modern day. People in that age used ingredients that don't even exist anymore. That is humbling to think about, in its own way. Thanks for all the interesting content. It's very much appreciated.
it's also crazy to think how many common things we take for granted were considered luxuries back then. Like having oranges. or running water so you can flush a toilet and not deal with the mess or smell afterwards. Or even email. but that's not so much a luxury as it would have been witchcraft back in the 18th century
I agree with you 100%! I started watching this channel for the cooking episodes, thinking it would be a novel thing to watch an episode or two of. But the way he showed the different ways of cooking, with 18th century tools and such, it got me hooked on the channel!
It’s a year since you posted this, but could I have the name of the group and website or contact? I’ve been looking for a Pen pal to write historic like letters to for some time!
@@Rach1313 yes it’s so difficult! I’m willing to be a pen pal and write letters in quill for fun, if anyone is looking! Send me a message and I’ll send my email ☺️
@@Rach1313 I've been a 'penpal' with a friend now, for about 40 years now, in Germany (I'm in the US). We started as penpals back in 1980 or so. One of my best friendships, I think. I've letters and letters from her, as she does from me. I think it was the last gasp of penpals back then, before computers took over our lives (yes, and made them better, I'm not a Luddite). It is a shame to my way of thinking, but I guess times move on. E-mails just don't have the same 'feel' as receiving an actual letter that you can read over and over, though they are easier to store. :) Sometimes, especially lately, I'll use my fountain pen to write. And while I have quite a bit of sealing wax, that I don't use so much any more. I didn't know about the post office not liking the use of sealing wax. I've a number of sticks that I picked up when I was in Germany. My penpal experience led me to visiting Germany a number of times, and even doing an internship there. So funny - the idea of a penpal is so foreign now, that spell check keeps wanting to correct it.
Part of old-fashined calligraphy techniques was to not rest your hand on the paper if possible, precisely so you could avoid getting ink everywhere. You also hold the pen (quill) a bit further up.
When I was going through 'No mom, I'm a wizard you filthy Muggle' phase of childhood and learned how to write with ink and quill I learned to not put my hand on the paper. Even as a righty, it was too messy to allow the possibility of my hand to smear with ink, especially in Junior High and High school when I had to get from class to class in 5 minutes. I imagine practicing longer than I did helps as well XD Poor lefties. Living in a right handed world.
As a leftie myself, I wonder too. I learned to write with my hand below the writing (after getting gray hands while writing with lead pencils, or blue with 80's gooey ball-roller pens). Pretty bad for the carpian tunnel in the long run though.
@@claudehebert3131 My "Calligraphy for Lefties" book told me to tilt my paper to the right. A simple change that makes a world of difference. My handwriting is now legible. Still not calligraphic.
My dad was born in 1903, and his dad in 1862. My dad's manner of expression in writing was eloquent, and the influence of 19th century writing style came shining through beautifully.
@@richeyrich2203 Formal writing still exists, you know. There will always be formal and informal language, and there always has. It is just that now a lot of informal language has been written down.
Ah, yes. You jiggled loose my memory of asking my mother what kind of wax goes on a ceiling. I had looked, and our ceilings didn't have any. I was imagining either splotches from mending cracks or molded strips around the edges.
Brian taught me as a child about 10 years ago at summer camp. He was just as passionate and proper talking to kids as he was on this video. One of those people that really loves his job. I hope he is well.
Well aye, you'd think so eh? My Dad (who'd be 93 if he'd lived, bless 'im..) was a southpaw and as a child at school in 30's had his left hand strapped to his desk, forcing him to use his right.
this was practised up till the 1950s/60s. Writing left handed was simply not allowed. It was even sometimes considered that left handed kids were posessed by the devil.
My dad was left-handed and born in 1903, and they didn't bother him about it. I knew a guy born in the early fifties, though, and they would tie his left hand behind his back in school so he wouldn't try to write with it. He still writes with it. lol
@@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo Not necessarily. I was just pointing out that my dad was born in 1903 and they didn't trouble him about being left-handed. I can't imagine he was an isolated incident.
I've used regular candle wax before and a dime for the stamp. It took me longer to make and age the letter than the campaign lasted but hey that's life sometimes.
Ha! Black is my favorite wax to get because I love the way highlighting pens look on the designs I have. Oh well! Hopefully people don’t know much about this tidbit anymore...
Literally this week, I sent my wedding invitations, and all of them had sealing wax. I figured, it is the only time I will be sending this many important letters through the post, I should make it special! Maybe you carried one of mine. If so, thanks!
Seeing you two talk about the machines at USPS while dressed like that messed with my brain for a minute there! You both looked very handsome by the way 😉
A longer version is Tempus Fugit, Momento Mori: Time Flies, Remember Death. As a lefty who uses a fountain pen, it is always interesting to see Brian take a quill in his left hand.
I loved the opening to this video where you guys were following him through the house! Kinda give you a feel of what it would be like walking through it yourself.
Frankly, I really like the look of that house, it looks like something me and four friends of mine could put together. (You know, over about a year.) I know it's just not something easily done in this day and age with acquiring the land and permissions, building codes . . .
I remember my grandmother showing me some stationery she had, including the seal, wax, all of that. I even got to see a notary seal stamper. But writing style for those letters has been lost to time.
I have several wax seals and loads of colors for my wax. I belong to several online letter writing groups and we use wax to seal our letters often. It is a lovely look. I am also a notary, have been for almost 30 years and have had several notary seals over the years.. we don't use them as much now but for special papers I will bring it out. I love using my wax seals the most. You can find loads of different styles and designs online, namely etsy.com
The writing style hasn't ben lost. Millions of people still write in longhand, and many, many of us still write in the same style as they did in the eighteenth century. Very few use quills now, but millions do still use fountain pens, and tens of thousands use steel dip pens. I know it seems as if no one writing in longhand now, that everything is done by computer, but fountain pen companies exist all over the world, as do people who use them.
@@jamesaritchie1 .we were recently told by our visiting granddaughters, that they are not teaching cursive writing in school any more. Hard to believe, but seeing they don't teach typing in high schools, in the computer age, I guess it should not be surprising ! Just stupid.
Jon, I noticed that both you and Brian are both left-handed. Would you mind speaking to writing left-handed with a quill and ink (without soiling your sleeve?
Ze Kaiser Snek that’s exactly what signet rings where used for. As a seal of identification which was a good as a signature to use on documents such as deed, wills, and other important things. :)
I started with volunteering for an annual fundraiser for our local museum. We had years with snow, rain, and fog but we developed a commorarderie. As people age and directors come and go the event had changed. I am near the River Raisin National Battlefield Park. I hope one day this site will have a full staff of reenactors.
Homestead In The Highlands that it’s a dying art. The fact that it is no longer a useful art, that doesn’t mean it’s dying. We should not lament something that has no use any more than we should lament that horses no longer serve a practical purpose. I don’t think it’s under a resurgence either, there are always people who learn pointless skills for the joy it gives them. Now, you want to have something to wring your hat over, look at how many children are taught useful skills in the kitchen.
@@Mostlyharmless1985 I dont think it's been considered a dying art since it was invented. It took thousands of years for people to learn to read and write. In schools in many developed countries these days the children do not write in books like they used to they have tablets or laptops. They no longer sit down and learn how to use a pen on paper. Handwritten letters are becoming increasingly rare, taken over by text messages, emails, printed text written on a computer and other electronic forms of communication not done using handwritten wording. That's what is meant by writing and sending handwritten letters is a dying art.
Homestead In The Highlands they said the same thing when the Telegraph was invented, and again when the telephone was invented, and yet again when email came around. Like I said, it’s not useful, why learn it? Speaking entirely pragmatically where time to school a child is short and means and methods to record information accurately miles beyond scratching on a piece of paper exist in your pocket, writing serves no purpose. As one with a learning disability and further saddled by being left handed, I did poorly in school, especially writing. In college, where typing was not only preferred but required, my poor grades turned into an appearance on the deans list 4 years in a row. Nor is this notion that children aren’t writing in school. This is simply untrue. That time isn’t wasted in teaching children longhand, a skill that is less and less worthy of attention is not surprising or unexpected. I mean, my schooling didn’t include a single minute of lessons teaching me how to use a slate and chalk.
To quote Captain Spock "Fascinating". The manner of wording used in the letter, I mean. Is there an online tutorial on replicating the letter writing style from the 1700's and 1800's?
I would recommend simply reading pieces of literature from the time period and taking the time to read them aloud to yourself. In understanding the way people wrote and organised thoughts and expression, you will come to a better understanding of different nuances in written word. Writing and penmanship are organic skills, and are a symbol of your personality and style as an individual. It would be much better for you to develop your own comprehension of the art to an apogee, and then whittle it down in the places most convenient to you; for example, I do not "buckle" the lower-case letter "F" because I find it wastes time. Instead I use a modified diagram that is more akin to a cross than anything else. The problem with mimicry is that if it is not done competently, it insults both the mimicker and the subject. Take the gentlemen in the video as a paradigm for yourself: they have both done exhaustive research into the topics they are passionate about, but you would not fault them for mimicry: Mr. Allison himself is adept at the diction, cadence, intonation and spirit of the time period he specialises in. His easy mastery has given him a confidence of delivery that you will want to avoid fumbling the fashion.
When I was in college I got to see a collection of letters written home by a US Navy officer while at sea in the very early 1800s. Letters showed folds largely consistent with those demonstrated by Mr. Allison around 11:00. Some letters also had writing that was on the back of the folded letter.
I must say I admire the fact that your audience is very calm and doesn't pry or exclude anyone. I can come here when the news of the days events or politics get me down and escape for a few minutes. Thank you sir.
Spectacular video, as always. I did research on how Austrian border officials disinfected Ottoman correspondences during plague epidemics around this time and maintaining the integrity of the seal was a primary anxiety. (Spoiler alert: they often used a finely-serrated press, like a waffle iron, to perforate the paper before fumigating it.)
In the early 70s, my grandma would put those red white peppermint candies in her envelopes. The USPS politely asked her to quit destroying taxpayer equipment. We got a shredded letter smelling of peppermint. The automation apparently digested it wrong.
I really love this series! The correspondence at the beginning was beautifully drafted, and the on screen chemistry between you and Brian is wonderful; nice to see two people so gleefully sharing their curiosity and expertise! Truly, I hope you two continue to collaberate!
Back when I was in high school (2010) my AP European History teacher sent each of us a hand written, wax sealed letter when we graduated. One of the best teachers I've ever had.
Lt Aubrey: ‘Hunks always seals with a wafer.’ Me: So that’s what that means! I love this channel. It clarifies so much from O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin, Forrester, Austen, and other period works.
I envy Brian his excellent handwriting. I've really been enjoying this elements of writing series. You should do an episode on book binding back in the day. I saw this done in Williamsburg and it's fascinating to watch.
This has been a wonderful series, and I hope there's more to come. If not, how about a new series about historical books? Print, layout, binding, materials, etc. I love pretty much anything about old documents, written or printed.
I'm a new subscriber. A great discovery for me and please keep up the excellent content. I checked out your website am looking to purchase one of your men's shirts to wear here on the Northern California coast.
As someone who spent years scanning many late 18th-19th century letters, this was so interesting and informative! I'd seen so many wafer seals and I had no idea what they were or why they were used instead of wax. Thank you for solving a mystery I didn't know I had!
Got a question regarding the formatting of letters at this time: given how letters were most often folded, is this where margins, header, and footer space come from? Does the use of logos or seals in the header stem from the use of seals on sealing wax or to counter the presence of wafer seal stamping?
I bought a wax stamp on Etsy a few years back to stamp fondant circles with my logo as a way to sign my wedding and special occasion cakes. It's such a beautiful way to mark my special cakes!
communication then: I congratulate you sir, on a successful journey northward. I hope this letter finds you well, best regards communication today: yo fam, u get dat uber yet?
haha. well if it makes you feel any better, rest assured they had slang in their day as well. maybe not written as often as today's slang. but it's nothing new.
Amy Sternheim that’s a great insight, you said it way better than I did... our language now wouldn’t make sense to someone 200 years ago just as olde English didn’t make sense to them. It’s always changing
Sword of the Morning Bruh. It’s not intellect. It’s formality versus convenience. Culture hasn’t declined either. It can’t by definition; it can only change.
@@dawn-blade You are emblematic of this "intellect decline" if you honestly mean any of this. Look up any formal test of intelligence and you will find we are getting increasingly intelligent.
Great movie! I don't know English very well, but I understood the main idea. The whole civilized world used this method of packing letters at that time and, unfortunately, there are no Russian-language videos on RU-vid on this topic (of course, i can go to the local history museum and ask everything there, but it can take a long time). So thank you very much for your work.
Anton Lavrentiev I think you did pretty well on your English:) Have you tried looking on a search engine? Sometimes I’ll look on mine for different things and it has the option for videos at the top I can click on. Your comment peeked my curiosity and I looked up Russian mail in the 1700’s and found an interesting article. :)
@@jo-vf8jx I accidentally found this channel and subscribed to it, because love history. To make a sentence - I used Yandex translator, because my vocabulary is limited. When I watched this video, I chose the translation in the annotations, but it didn’t help much, because RU-vid is not able to translate complex sentences on its own. However, my modest knowledge of English and translation from RU-vid allowed me to understand everything (surprisingly, but RU-vid knows the word "sealing wax").
@@AlexSDU Judging from this video and what I have seen about happy mail groups, they'll take anything with the right amount of postage. Some stuff you may need to ask them to hand cancel if it won't go through a postage machine.
Yes, you can send a letter like this! But be sure to take it to a person at the counter and ask to send it as a "non-machinable " letter. It is $0.15 extra and will be processed by hand!
That intro is very inspiring and really well done. His handwriting is so legible (to those of us who understand the secret code known as 'cursive'). I want to learn to write like that. My Thai teacher told me my Thai script was "so perfect" she was going to show it to her Thai high school students. Curiously, my English script is just awful.
I have just discovered your channel, and didn't hesitate to subscribe! This is what I call real history, which I think encompasses so much more than wars and political shifts. I look forward to watching all of your videos!
If you want to send out sealed letters, you might consider red HOT GLUE. I was on the board of a history group. We had a yearly conference where we would seal the invitation to about 1000 attendees. As stated, sealing wax is brittle and we found the hot glue was very flexible and would not come off of the paper. The hobby shop where we purchased the hot glue ordered the red color from the factory and arrived in boxes of 100 sticks. It is possible that other colors could be ordered, but we only inquired about red. Also, the standard electric gun made the process of dispensing the glue, very quick and easy to control. To prevent the glue from bonding to the seal we had a silver tray sitting on a bed of ice. 2 metal stamps rested on the tray to chill and were used alternately. The result was a fairly good facsimile to sealing wax, except that it is a matte finish and does not shine like sealing wax. You might try a dab of clear nail polish if the finish is not to your liking. This was about 15 years ago, and although we demonstrated to the local post master that the hot glue was very flexible and adhered well, he insisted that the invitations be placed inside another envelope. Possibly attitudes of the Post Masters have changed now.
Writing letters is a lot art, back when my cousin went into basic training we did this whole overly emotional plea about writing each other every day. The plot twist was I actually did it. It's very hard to write someone on a daily basis while still coming up with unique things to say.
From a website re. Jane Austen, the base Ingredients in Sealing Wafers were Flour & Water; with Egg Whites, Yeast, & Isinglass often added. Colorants ranged from the spice Turmeric, to the poisonous Vermilion (Mercury Sulfide) ! Apparently too, due to the poisons, commercial Wafer makers often sold their Scraps as Rat Poison !
It would've been nice to get examples of costs to mail a letter back then and how much the price could've changed between two similar distances but with very different obstacles. (Ex. 600 miles of decent, dry trails vs 600 miles of washed out trails, stormy weather, etc.) Also, it seems those charges would be very objectionable since one postman might find the journey worse than someone else and there couldn't be an accurate chart for those types of charges.
Your channel is ridiculously good. I can’t get enough of it and I have never been interested in any of the topics. Honestly, your videos are that good.
I have a handful of different sealing wax stamps. They're fun to use. But when it comes to mailing off letters, I use a modern-day version of sealing wax. Applied the very same way as traditional sealing wax, but when dry on the envelope; it's actually semi soft. When the recipient gets the sealed letter, he can simply peel off the waxed seal in tact. Best part is, a letter sealed in such a way will easily go through the postal system's sorting machines. A traditional wax seal is unlikely to jam up a sorting machine. The machine is *far* more likely to pulverize the seal itself into a fine powder. Sadly, also the result if you place the wax sealed envelope inside of another envelope. Unless we're talking about a hand-delivered letter or invitation, using traditional sealing wax is just a waste of time and money. Far better off using the modern-day formula version of sealing wax.
I had to send out a bunch of wedding invitations (for my sister's wedding) in the mail and not thinking about today's mailing process, I sealed all the envelopes in sealing wax. Much to my disappointment when I got to the post office to mail them out, the post man behind the counter told me I had to pay extra for each envelope because the sealing wax wont go through the modern sorting machines. I didn't tell my sister about it, I just paid the fee and had them mailed. It took all the fun out of having something a little different and formal looking on the envelopes.
That would put a damper on things, but weddings happen so rarely in life, surely it was not that negative of an experience? I'm sure the guests appreciated the thought and effort you put into your family's happy day. I know I would have. ;)
I can attest that when that 'wax' catches fire it is a bad time for everyone. I have a permanent scare on my hand from a wax sealing attempt gone bad...
I found this fascinating! Way back in 1969 when I was in college, there was a bookstore on campus that had sealing wax and seals, I fell in love with them and bought several. Still have them too!
In several Georgette Heyer Regency romances she mentions sending someone a "guinea under seal." This was generally in reference to someone who was still at school, so I assume that friends or relatives would place a guinea (which was quite small in size) on the paper, pour the sealing wax over it, and thus augment a scanty allowance.
What is this type of language called? I love the way they used to write letters, it was so sophisticatedly convoluted. "It is a truth generally acknowledged, that good company and good discourse, are the very sinews of virtue. This being so, I thank you for providing both during your brief sojourn among us (sus). If you had half as much enjoyment in your visit, as we had hosting you, I should esteem that a successful endeavor indeed." 0:54
Thank you for the wonderful video. The old method of sending letter is something that has fascinated me for quite some time. Thanks you for the suggestion to use a padded envelope to protect the seal. I stopped using seals a long time ago, because they would break. I would only seal letters that I planned to hand deliver. Keep the videos coming.
Let me remind you, honorable sire, that two more chests of the finest, alluringly aromatic nutmeg are waiting to be transfered into your possession once the matter we have discussed privately in the cellar is be resolved. Thus, with a prayer in my mind, I bid thee farewell, as you remain my most trusted and valuable friend and servant.
What I would appreciate is them telling how to minimize the splotch the sealing wax creates on the other side (the written side) since the paper absorbs the oils in it. I've used it in thick paper and still have to mind the lower writing margins AND add a small paper square on the folding so it doesn't get to other parts.
i really like this series on pen and ink. please observe that i have taken to sending postal mail. i am thrilled with this guest, brian allison. only one click allowed on 'like?!'
I learned quite a lot from this video. Now I’ll look at my seal with more insight. Even folding the envelope brought back childhood memories when we sent letters to classmates for Valentine’s Day using our folded envelopes. I can hardly wait to share with my grandkids. I’m in Tennessee too. 😄 Thanks for sharing a cool video my friend.
I don't know how I got here! I'm usually watching "how to's" and "fix it" channels. Very much worth my time. An interesting look at everyday life of this period.
I'd love to see a Renaissance of good writing, penmanship and elegance of language from a more dignified and refined age... And thank you Townsends for bringing history back to life.
Fascinating ! I never knew “the recipient” paid for delivery. Makes perfect sense, as sender would have no clue as to all what actions would be required to get it to the final destination. I wonder if not done , 1 on 1, end to end, how the fees were handed down/ accounted for... that could be another video !
The postage stamps or "postmarks" were used at each step of the way. As they said in the video, each postal station would use lead stamp and ink to show that the letter was processed through that office. At the end of the journey, the clerk would add up the amounts represented by the postmarks and charge the recipient for the letter.
@@stephensteinhauer3346 What if you didn't have any money to pay for the post!? I would never be able to get mail. Guess I'd have to become a laundress.
@@goldilox369 Many letters were not delivered due to the recipient not having the cash, or not wanting to pay. The "Dead Letter Office" was a thing from the beginning. If you were on good terms with the Postmaster in your town, you could probably pay over a period of time. It cost the local post office nothing to let it sit on a shelf until you completed payment. Or if you had good credit standing, they might let you have it up front with your promise to pay a bit each payday. There were undoubtedly people who played the system by sending letters on different colors of paper to indicate a prearranged message.
