Antique love letter

"My dear, I cover you with kisses and caresses until... I need you in this moment of desire. I love you."

So completes a hand-written love letter recently found by an upholsterer in Gloucestershire. According to BBC news, the love letter was folded up the size of a penny and found in the arm of a chair the upholsterer was working on. The letter was written in French, by a woman to a man, and the style of writing suggests that it dates back to the 1800s. 


You can read the complete story, as well as the complete contents of the letter, here.

How sweet is that?

It amazes me the letter was able to survive for so long. Not only could it have been lost any time the chair was moved, but it was written with a lead pencil-- which of course easily smears. And to go unread for so long brings up so many questions. Did the letter ever reach its destination? Was it written with an intent of being sent, or just to release personal emotions? Why was the letter hidden in a chair? Was the love forbidden?

The letter also makes me wistful for a time when letter-writing was an art form. Important, intimate matters were not emailed... they were not tweeted, texted or typed. They were hand-written with care and precision and sincerity. Sent full of emotion and love. To actually write a letter takes time. It requires thinking about what you want to say, and how you want to say it.

And knowing that a letter doesn't arrive instantly means the content must be significant and worth the wait for the recipient's response.

Writing a letter by hand is such a romantic gesture, don't you think?

Especially if it comes in a red envelope... :-)