It’s amazing to reflect on the rise of prices throughout the 20th century and into the 21st century. In the 1930s, a mail order car cost $200, and this pricing includes a box that you can use regularly as a garage. The freight is $50 to transport the car directly to the customer. It’s worthwhile to note …
Tag: history
An Invitation that Speaks a Thousand Words
Sometimes the key to unlocking our own history is found in the unlikeliest of ways. For California resident Mark Harrison, a beautiful discovery led him to a deeper understanding of his heritage and how it contributes to the person he is today. A few years ago, Harrison discovered an invitation created by Dempsey & Carroll …
The 70th Anniversary of D-Day: Honoring our Heroes
On the 70th Anniversary of D-Day, we celebrate our American heroes and the sacrifices they made, and continue to make, for our freedom. We must never forget the bravery and selflessness of our men and women in armed service; their stories are ones that must be preserved, passed on from one generation to the next. …
Remembering Maya Angelou: A Letter to Her Younger Self
“I am convinced that most people do not grow up … our real selves, the children inside, are still innocent and shy as magnolias,” wrote Maya Angelou. After her passing on May 28, 2014, the world remembers Maya Angelou as one of the most influential and inspiring voices in American literature and an activist who always …
Remembering the Monarchs: A Look at Rachel Carson’s Correspondence
This week, we celebrate Rachel Carson as one of the most influential advocates for environmental conservation. Her groundbreaking work Silent Spring, published on September 27, 1962, eventually led to the American government’s ban on DDT for agricultural use and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. Throughout her life, Carson exchanged letters with her friend …
Why We Still Write Letters
Think of how many emails you receive in a day. They come from family and friends to fill you in on their lives, maybe with an attached picture of their new home or their dog. They’re sent throughout the day at all hours, containing business proposals, updates, commands, changes, ideas. You type up your reply, brief …
The Lives of Others
The past has a funny way of looping back around to land firmly in the present. When we think of time capsules we think of recorded voices on cassette tapes; thumb drives chock full of information spanning millennia; a velvet poster of Elvis Presley or an original taping of the moon landing, all buried in …
Illuminate Your Signature: The Story and Etiquette of Monograms
Monograms are more than just initials. It is a name stripped to its essence. A monogram tells a tale of our identity, who we are and who we want to be. The first monograms were seen on coins as early as 350 B.C. in Ancient Greece. The monograms on the coins were the first two …
After the War Ends, Love is Still There: Winston and Clementine Churchill
In times of love and war, handwritten letters reigned. For Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine, their letters acted as portals into each other’s worlds while apart during their 56 year relationship. Twenty-five years before he was to become the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Churchill, who was deeply devoted to his country, joined the …
In Matters of Diplomacy and Love: John and Abigail Adams
When we look to the past to better understand our world, we often seek the historical documents and correspondences that shaped our governments and their institutions. Yet, romance also left behind letters that continue to shape our understanding of not only the world as it once was, but of our shared humanity. John and Abigail …