Correspondences have ended wars, saved lives, made hearts swoon, and connected people continents apart. The power of the written word is forceful – even in today’s digital world. This story from the Daily Mail UK is proof of that. A woman re-discovers “more than 100 letters sent from a lovestruck teenager to his sweetheart” thirty years after …

December 19th, 1878, Bayard Taylor passed away. He was an American poet, and the above image is his handwritten version of “Bedouin Song,” one of his most popular poems. (Brief Insights) Complete Poem Text: Bedouin Song, by Bayard Taylor (1825-1878) From the Desert I come to thee On a stallion shod with fire; And the winds are …

With the snow dusting New York City last night, the holiday spirit has officially set in at the Dempsey & Carroll office. We love traditions here, especially ones that involve hand-written letters! That’s why the Dear Santa letter-writing is one of our favorite holiday customs. Nothing is a better combination than hand-written notes and children’s candid humor. …

The above image is the notes that Mandela took as the President of South Africa at his first Parliamentary meeting. He was the first black South African president and was sworn in as the President to an audience of 1 billion viewers globally (The Nelson Mandela Foundation). In an eloquent statement issued on December 6th, …

  In January of 1990, Nelson Mandela wrote his last journal entries while being imprisoned. This journal entry above is the last archived note that exists. It was written in a place called Victor Verster Prison, a transfer facility between ‘imprisonment and freedom” (abc.net.au). While sitting in literal limbo, Mandela’s mind was occupied with the …

Mr. Mandela wrote the letter above to his wife, Winnie, on February 4th, 1969 from prison. He had recently learned of some alarming health issues that Winnie had been experiencing. Although they have been separated physically for years, his profound, unwavering love for her shines through when he writes, “of the talents you possess, the …

The Former South African President, Nelson Mandela, passed away yesterday at the age of 95. The world is mourning a man who was a fearless global hero for equality and South Africa is mourning the loss of “a father.” Mandela was a beautiful correspondent, and as a tribute to him we will be posting letters …

Jervis McEntee, an American painter in the mid-nineteenth century, left an enduring legacy with his incredibly detailed journal entries and letters. Through the archives of his handwritten pages, historians have been able to create a vibrant and accurate understanding of what the life of a New York City painter was like during the socially boisterous …