Historians devise new tools to help read other people’s letters
Before the mass manufacture of envelopes in the 19th century, letter-writers warded off prying eyes by folding their missives into intricate designs, sealed with wax. “Letter-locking” was an ingenious solution that presents historians with a difficult choice: leave potentially valuable records unopened, or risk causing major damage. Now experts have deployed new techniques to read a letter from 1697 – without breaking its seal.
The document is one of hundreds of unopened letters sent to the Netherlands between 1689 and 1706, that were kept in a trunk by postmasters when they could not be delivered. Researchers scanned it with X-ray imaging to create a 3D reconstruction, before using a computer program to identify the number of layers and the order in which they were folded. They then reversed the process virtually to read the words inside.
Although this example may offer only a small glimpse into the past – the letter is from a legal professional requesting a death certificate from a relative – the technique could allow experts to explore letters that have not been read for centuries.