Friday, January 21, 2011

Saved Letters


One of the things I simply could not resist at Renningers 
was this stack of old letters, notes and invitations ...
...all dated from 1891 through 1896...


Fort Plain is a small town in upstate New York...
not too far from where my Mother's family came from.


It was fun to find this stack of saved letters 
with one cent postage stamps and lovely old penned script
 from this little familiar town in upstate New York...
...and fun to share it with my Mom here in Florida.


We opened the envelopes and read thank you notes, lovely invitations and correspondence between friends, family and neighbors dating back over one hundred years.



.

How romantic!



Isn't this embossed wedding invitation beautiful?

Thank you for all your great comments on our adventure at Renninger's Extravaganza.

To answer a couple of your questions... 

I do not know the price or the name of the dealer with the
 Jack Rabbit sign that so many of you liked...
...however I may be able to find out!  Shelley?

Those mercury glass bottles are sold individually or by the case...
I have the dealers card (somewhere) as Paula and I each bought one at the Madison Bouckville show the summer before last...
and will look for it for you...perhaps one of you knows and can save me the time of hunting through my piles for the information!

I am looking forward to going back to Renninger's Extravaganza in February
 and of course, will take you with me!
Let me know if there is anything I should look out for
 or anything you would like a picture of!

I hope that the weekend is going well for each of you. 
Thanks so much for stopping by!
:)


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43 comments:

  1. Sue (Vintage Rescue)January 22, 2011 at 10:31 PM

    Laura, do you ever go to the ones in PA? I'm there every time; you should think about it! XOX

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  2. AntiqueChaseJanuary 22, 2011 at 10:59 PM

    Wow, thanks for looking into the Jack Rabbit sign.... I'm first in line... please!!! LOL

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  3. Sonya BadgleyJanuary 22, 2011 at 11:00 PM

    Hi Laura,
    I love your old letters! Aren't they just wonderful? The handwriting is beautiful...
    Blessings,
    Sonya

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  4. Leo January 22, 2011 at 11:02 PM

    I am going to go in February - and I can't wait to go!!!

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  5. Fishtail CottageJanuary 23, 2011 at 12:49 AM

    A lost tradition....real letters, on real paper, sent in the mail. xoxo

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  6. the cardigan-innJanuary 23, 2011 at 2:54 AM

    What a treasure.
    That weddingcard is beautiful.
    Love, Joni

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  7. Jem January 23, 2011 at 6:24 AM

    I am completely in love with old letters - they are such a fantastic window into the past. The envelopes and franked stamps are beautiful to look at in themselves but the handwriting is something else! :-) There is such romance to such old letters!

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  8. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2011 at 6:33 AM

    Laura, what always amazes me about the old letters and post cards is how they often didn't even have to put the house # and street name. The mailman always knew who the recipients were "back then".
    Lovely find!
    Diane

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  9. la fourchetteJanuary 23, 2011 at 6:52 AM

    Très jolie! Ahhh...the written word - even on an envelope it's gorgeous.

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  10. Vintage GalJanuary 23, 2011 at 8:00 AM

    Laura, those letters are a real treasure~ I would love to go through and read them ;-)

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  11. Andi's English AtticJanuary 23, 2011 at 8:17 AM

    How clear the postmarks are. xx

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  12. Lori @ Katies Rose Cottage DesignsJanuary 23, 2011 at 9:06 AM

    Ohhhh those are absolutely
    wonderful old letters!
    I just love them!

    xoxo
    Lori

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  13. erin's art and gardensJanuary 23, 2011 at 9:29 AM

    what a wonderful bundle of letters! i fear the art of beautiful handwriting is gone......

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  14. BrocanteJanuary 23, 2011 at 11:12 AM

    Lovely - think of all those memories!

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  15. Karen ValentineJanuary 23, 2011 at 11:12 AM

    Oh Gosh! I couldn't have resisted either!!! Great find!
    xo,
    Karen

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  16. Gina at Vintage Junk in My TrunkJanuary 23, 2011 at 11:30 AM

    Why is it that old letters and envelopes always look so gorgeous? Did everyone have such beautiful handwriting or did the writing implements make everything look so pretty? I'm a sucker for them too...

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  17. SueJanuary 23, 2011 at 11:35 AM

    Love the flowing script that everyone had "back in the day." Of course, penmanship was taught in school during that time period. Something that has sadly gone by the wayside in the last 50 years. I can remember that the nuns stressed beautiful handwriting back when my parents went to school. My mother attempted to re-teach me, but my habits were already formed. I do not move my wrist as I write in cursive. It stays stationary, thus no flow....
    ~ Sue

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  18. KarenJanuary 23, 2011 at 11:46 AM

    It's amazing how these things survive for so many years.I often wonder about the lives of the people who wrote the letters and how they would feel about us looking at and reading their thoughts.

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  19. UnknownJanuary 23, 2011 at 12:11 PM

    The letters are so wonderful. What a treat to read through. Are they all from the same family, or different people?
    I would love to get one of those mercury bottles....if you can find the dealer's card!!!
    Thanks again,
    lynn

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  20. MJ OrnamentsJanuary 23, 2011 at 12:15 PM

    I love everything about old letters, and thanks for sharing yours. Take care,
    Martha

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  21. LizlovesVintageJanuary 23, 2011 at 12:27 PM

    These are wonderful, Laura.
    I know you will cherish them.
    I wish my Hubby would write to me. Ha, Ha
    xx Liz

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  22. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2011 at 1:09 PM

    Laura, some of the postage stamps may be valuable and even more so affixed to the envelopes with postmarks (called "covers"). Obviously, you don't collect for resale, but I just wanted to make you aware of this possibility. The wedding invitation--priceless!

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  23. Madame MorellJanuary 23, 2011 at 1:11 PM

    I love old letters. Lovely pictures.
    Jessika

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  24. UnknownJanuary 23, 2011 at 1:57 PM

    Love these old letters, I just love the handwriting on them, and then you sit and wonder who where these people? what where they like? I wish we had Flea Markets like the ones next to you.

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  25. JolandaJanuary 23, 2011 at 2:05 PM

    Ver very special and beutiful, those letters, the stamps, the handwriting...lovely greetings!

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  26. CaroleJanuary 23, 2011 at 2:49 PM

    I wish I had handwriting like they did back then. What fun you must have had reading them together.
    xx
    C

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  27. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2011 at 5:34 PM

    What a fascinating find!

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  28. ILoveCollectingJanuary 23, 2011 at 6:21 PM

    Very cool! I'm sure it was great fun reading them! :-) Emily

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  29. High Street CottageJanuary 23, 2011 at 6:33 PM

    Laura, these are beautiful, it's always mysterious to dip into someone else's life.
    Loved your previous post , thanks for answering questions, xoxo tami

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  30. sweetpeaJanuary 23, 2011 at 6:52 PM

    sorry, laura, i am of no help on the sign. love those letters, there is something so pretty about the way people used to write. maybe the sign will be back in february.

    hugs,

    shelley

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  31. LaraJanuary 23, 2011 at 7:39 PM

    Such lovely letters and you have photographed them so beautifully! I love the antiqued tone of the paper and the penmanship they used back then.
    Lara

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  32. amy of studio four cornersJanuary 23, 2011 at 8:15 PM

    I'm a sucker for old letters too - the handwriting is always so lovely and the words always seem so caring. also loved your photos from Renningers - I visit florida often (friends and family on the west coast) - next time I will have to schedule time to get over there!
    amy of four corners design

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  33. Julie@beingRUBYJanuary 23, 2011 at 8:42 PM

    Beautiful Laura...
    I love the old letters.. the only ones I find are family one... How fabulous... handwriting & letter writing was such an art form back then...just beautiful...

    ciao ciao xxx Julie

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  34. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2011 at 8:46 PM

    Oh, how lovely! I like old correspondence and the invitation is wonderful! Perfect photos.

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  35. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2011 at 11:15 PM

    Laura: Isn't it amazing the beauty of the handwritten envelope and letter before technology took over our world? It is still exciting to get a letter in the mail. While grateful for those personal letters, penmanship just never will be the same as it was a 100 years ago.
    I have a stack of love letters from my mom to my dad when they were dating.....I have tied them all with a bow and they are priceless to me.

    Love all you do Laura.

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  36. Trina LucidoJanuary 24, 2011 at 12:40 AM

    W*O*W! I just discovered your blog ... love it!

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  37. maddyJanuary 24, 2011 at 6:53 AM

    Wow..wonderful blog.. Writing letter is really enjoyable thing.
    Letters

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  38. cheryl kuhnJanuary 24, 2011 at 8:16 AM

    What a lucky gal to find such amazing treasures!

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  39. cheryl kuhnJanuary 24, 2011 at 8:16 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  40. Zita - Mlle MagpieJanuary 24, 2011 at 8:40 AM

    I ADORE those letters and that gorgeous calligraphy, Laura. A most wonderful find, my friend. p.s. thanks for the ballet encouragement and do say hello to lovely Mary Beth for me

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  41. found and sewnJanuary 24, 2011 at 4:35 PM

    Wow! These are just lovely.

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  42. Tina January 26, 2011 at 3:39 AM

    awesome letter bunch Laura. What a great find.
    xo Tina

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  43. Glorinha L de LionFebruary 4, 2011 at 11:02 AM

    I loved your blog! I love vintage things ... the pictures are beautiful. Congratulations!

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