19th Century Mid Dance Card or Aide de Memoire. Jeweled and enameled gold dance card with concealed timepiece. Lid with a blue enamel with rose-cut diamonds floral wreath, opening to compartment with watch dial, pencil, and notebook. via Sotheby’s Auctions. sothebys.com
1860 ca. Gilt Chatelaine With Etui. Hanging chatelaine with seven carbochons, gilt tools inside etui, or small container, of scissors, bodkin, knife, stiletto, pencil case, combination tweezers and ear spoon and ivory aid memoire, or notepad. via Needle’s Work Antiques. needleworkantiques.com
Definition Chatelaine: The word Chatelaine is French and means the keeper of the keys. Chatelaine” derives from the Latin word for castle. In Medieval times, the chatelaine was in charge of the day-to-day running of the castle. Women in charge of households dangled long chains from their waists to keep essentials within easy reach e.g. keys, notebook and pen, watch, sewing items, vinaigrette or perfume, or magnifying glass. Early chatelaine were simple essentials. Later chatelaine were decorative and expensive. books2read.com/SuziLoveChatelaines
18th Century Late. Inkstand, Sheffield, England. Square, resting on four ball feet, the top pierced with four circular holes into which fit two inkwells, a pounce box and a box for wafers. Silver inkstands appeared in Britain in 17th century and included pot, or well, for ink, plus another pot with pierced cover held ‘pounce’ or sand, which writers scattered over paper to fix ink. Wafers to seal finished letter and tray to hold pens or quills. collections.vam.ac.uk
In Jane Austen’s times craftsmen created boxes and containers of precious metals, leather, silks, and decorated them with jewels. Boxes, Cases, Etui, Necessaire and everything else that was used to carry essential items for travel, sewing, medicine, writing, and toiletries. Containers were engraved to make exquisite and expensive items as well as practical carrying cases. books2read.com/suziloveBoxesCases
19th Century Cross Letter or Cross Writing or Cross Hatching. The writer reached the bottom of the page, turned the paper sideways and adds a second layer of text. During the 19th century, paper was expensive and postal delivery was charged per page, or by the size of the paper. Cross-writing was a way to save paper and postage in Jane Austen and Bridgerton times, and many of Jane Austen’s letters were written this way. Once it becomes familiar, the mind adapts easily and cross-writing letters are surprisingly legible. Charles Darwin also favored this technique.
And so in proportion; the postage increasing progressively one penny for a single letter for every like excess ok distance of 100 miles. 1802 Picture of London Printed for R. Phillips via Google Books (PD-180)
1880 ca. Travelling Inkwell, English. Red Leather and Heart Shaped. via Ruby Lane Antiques. rubylane.com
1780 Rolltop Desk, With Removable Legs Germany. By Master Furniture Maker, David Roentgen,German. Numerous woods including oak, pine, walnut, cherry, tulipwood, mahogany, plus gilt bronze, brass, steel and iron, marble and partially tooled and gilded leather. Marquetry motifs of flowers and gardening. Interior pigeonholes and drawers, exterior handles shaped like lion masks holding gilded rings. via Metropolitan Museum, N.Y.C., U.S.A. metmuseum.org
1774-1775 ca. Gold Etui, Or Decorative Container, For Holding Sealing Wax, French. #GeorgianEra #Europe #Antiques #writingtools. https://www.suzilove.com/wp-admin/books2read.com/SuziLoveWritingTools
Continue reading →19th Century Mid-Late Five Desk Seals. L-R Carnelian seal with silver mounts set with colored stones; malachite urn seal: gilt-bronze seal with winged cherub heads: Silver-gilt seal eagle, Silver-gilt seal as eagle’s leg below a blue glass ball. via Sotheby’s Auctions. sothebys.com
In the Bridgerton family, or Jane Austen’s household, and during the Regency Era, sealing wax was not only impressed onto the back of a letter with a seal to protect against tampering, but also to identify the sender of the letter. People, especially aristocrats, kept personal and family seals to be used for many different purposes e.g. A letter to a government official would be sealed with an aristocrat’s crest or title. Personal seals for identification have been since early civilizations. The rubber stamps and embossers we use today serve the same purpose, identifying the sender.
Definition: Wax Seals: Pressed onto a letter or envelope to show that a document is unopened or to verify the sender’s identity. A signet ring or was seal is pressed into a dollop of hot wax to seal a letter or envelope closed.
1800 ca. Writing Box, British, as would have been used by people in Jane Austen’s times, or, the Regency Era. Small brass bound solid mahogany writing box of dovetail construction. Green baize sloping writing surface with compartments for storing papers beneath. Small size may be designed for private intimate correspondence. Drop down carrying handles on two sides are early form of handle. Side drawer pulls out after retaining brass pin is taken out. via hygra.com
