I'm always looking for examples of cross-writing, but rarely come across them, so was very pleased to find this one at Brimfield, purchased from a favorite Pennsylvania based dealer. It is dated July, 1864 and addressed to "Dear friend Mollie," though I can't quite discern the signature of its author, who is a young teacher, in her first year of teaching it seems. ("Some think teachers have an easy time of it but my experience so far leads me to have a very different opinion." !) Talk of girls in her class whose behavior needs correcting, and of young men of romantic interest, and also of choir and bible study and on an on. With just a little effort, it is all very readable, but of greatest interest to me with a cross-written letter like this one is the overall effect and formal qualities of it, also small moments of juxtaposition of lines and words and phrases. I also really like the idea of cross-writing as creating a sort of wall of privacy, here between two friends--not easy to quickly decipher reading over someone's shoulder! A lovely example, the page here folded in half, creating four "pages", two of them filled with cross-writing, two plain cursive text.
Open: 9 7/8" x 8". Good condition, ink strong, paper not brittle, completely readable with a little effort.
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