Here at Richard Booths, we regularly discover something forgotten amongst the pages of an old volume. Most often, these items are bookmarks of some fashion; postcards and newspaper clippings, scraps of paper and materials.
Every so often, hidden amongst the leaves of a book or smuggled away in the corner of a dusty bookshelf, we find something different. Something that makes our staff raise their eyebrows and eyes light up. What we speak of here, are the hidden gems awaiting discovery. From handwritten notes to a carefully planned letter, a recipe to a timeless photograph.
This page is dedicated to a few of these discoveries, all of which fall within our category of ‘A Handwritten Note’ which we believe need to be shared to be fully appreciated. We hope that you enjoy exploring the history encased in the ephemera below, and perhaps consider the stories hidden within.
Right & below: Two photographs depicting a letter between ‘Florence‘ and ‘Mrs Bishop,’ dated 18th December 1928, the elegant scrawl reveals an address which appears to be in the vicinity of London. The content further reveals that Florence is writing the letter to accompany a book as a gift to Mrs Bishop for Christmas. Florence writes about her new puppy, proudly stating his nickname is sometimes James, and that she intends to take an extended holiday from her education.
Left: a Christmas greeting printed on single-sided card, with illustration and personalised from a ‘H. Winfield,’ from Nottingham. The greeting is dated Christmas 1922.
Below: a seemingly hand-embroidered greeting card in French, with a hand-written note on the reverse, which appears to be dated Christmas 1919. The post card seems to be wishing the recipient a happy new year, from Helene to Eloi.
