Germany
May 1, 1945
No. 144
My darling wife,
I have just finished a long letter to Mother and it has been overdue.READ MORE
I was rooting around some old papers, looking for something else entirely, and found this gem of a writing sample from third grade.
Vienna April 4, 1944
My very dear parents,
I come for a moment to give you some news from me which are very good for now. I am still in good health. I hope it is the same for you.
READ MORE
February 15, 1945
My dear young men:
A card to you from not too gay Paree. But it is a beautiful city filled with beautiful women, beautiful buildings, beautiful stores, everything beautiful, no Frenchmen, and a lot of G.I. soldiers. I wish you both could be here to enjoy it. I wish I could enjoy it, too, but I am too busy with my work. Some other day, maybe
— Dad
I was surprised, but delighted, that my translator could read this writing. To me, it almost looks like shorthand! But, she continues to work miracles.
Dec 24th (1943)
My dearest,
You must be in bed by this time. It’s 8 o’clock here (12:30 A.M.) in Laurel [Mississippi]. I’ve been thinking of you constantly today. Today, of all days, we should be together and yet we’ve lots to do before we can start our life together again.READ MORE
Dec. 24, 1943
Dearest Mother and all,
I have been expecting to get a letter from you the past few days but so far no luck. READ MORE
Dearest Wilma:
Received some of your belated mail today, from the 1st, 10th and 23rd of August. Good mail service, eh? Most of the news you have written in later letters. Oh yes! I understand what you mean about your social security card, now. Wilma! I am surprised at you!READ MORE
Many of the pieces of old, handwritten ephemera in my collection have serious content: they are notes from lawyers, financial ledger pages, or pages with messages about far-away loved ones or troubled times. But, occasionally I’ll find a handwritten letter with a delightful, whimsical content. This was one of those finds.READ MORE
Image caption (front): The Tommies joyfully greet the coast of France during their Channel crossing.
This nostalgia-filled letter tugged at my heartstrings. You can feel the connection this soldier is yearning for as he asks about old friends and recalls carefree moments before the war. READ MORE
What’s the first thing that caught my eye about this postcard from September, 1943? The unusual emerald green ink, of course!READ MORE
Four years ago, at TypeCon 2012, I had the privilege of receiving a short critique from a trio of type design luminaries. At the time, I was still refining the font ‘Marcel’ and I appreciated the opportunity to hear feedback that could help me make the font as good as it could be.READ MORE
Over the weekend I attended a two-day Spencerian Masterclass. READ MORE
According to curators at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, some modern papers “only have a lifespan of a few decades.” So, if you have precious letters or documents, what can you do to preserve and protect them?READ MORE
On June 6, 1944, the mother of Lou B.—who at the time was in military training in Massachusetts—wrote this letter capturing her reaction to the D-Day invasion.READ MORE
Second to Marcel Heuzé’s letters, this postcard has been the most incredible find.READ MORE
This postcard was written August 12, 1944 by a man named Marcel.READ MORE
I presume this postcard was written by a Dutch laborer; clues include the date, the censor marks, the fact she was in Berlin. READ MORE
