I went up to university in the autumn of 2000 and fell in love by letters sent between Oxford and London, Worcester and Offenham. Whilst we both acquired mobile numbers (differing only in their last digits) and our first e-mail addresses, our main form of communication was the handwritten letter and on occasion, the humourous greeting card. The latter would then be affixed either to my noticeboard or on the door of my room in International Hall. My friends and I would also ’amusingly’ exchange letters with descriptive addresses and wait with great trepidation to see if they were successfully delivered by the local postal worker.
With the rise of e-mail, emoticons and chatcronyms, comes the death of the envelope as a medium itself . Whilst the sentiments expressed within the undergraduate correspondence are long past their use-by date, the goofy artwork and silly notes of the envelopes still make me smile.
The mail sorter in my halls of residence must have thought we were a right pair of pillocks.
Lovely! Every letter writer out there, innately understands this.
Thank you.
Have you been tempted to engage in envelope doodling or received anything illustrated as part of your challenge?
Afternoon Liz,
Yes – I’ve received bits and pieces of doodling, art, and envelope acoutrements from writing friends. And most regular writers are making their own envelopes. I myself am not much of a doodler, but do enjoy making a “map” envelope here and there.
You’ve really tapped into what I’ve been thinking, the art of the handwritten letter should not be allowed to die!
See you around the Chadwick Building.
Daham
Thanks Daham. Have a great Summer!
You too, Liz! Take care.