Letterlocking: John Donne's tuck-and-seal letter to Sir Nicholas Carew, England (1625) UH0030)

Modelled after Donne’s letter to Sir Nicholas Carew (21 June 1625), Houghton Library, MS Eng 1290.

The tuck-and-seal category is probably one of the most common surviving categories for early modern English letters. It is sturdy, reliable, sensible, and discreet – and is much easier to make than to describe in words! In this example, after the letter is written, the paper is folded twice along its long edge – once a third down from the top, and once a third up from the bottom, also referred to as a C fold. The same process is then repeated from each side to create two flaps. One side is tucked into the other. The letterlocker would be careful to ensure that the flap being tucked was inserted into the "pocket" created by gently squeezing the other flap. It is also important that only one layer of paper stands between the tucked flap and the outside of the letter (see in video 1:02–1:13). In this example, once the tucking is completed, hot sealing wax is inserted between the overlapping folds. The sealing tool can then be impressed onto the paper outside to create a papered seal, or (as in this video) more sealing wax can be applied outside and the tool impressed into it to create an exposed seal. The important application is under the paper, however, since this is what secures the letter shut.

Produced by MIT Video Production. Co-directed by Jana Dambrogio and Daniel Starza Smith, and demonstrated by Dambrogio. Funded by MIT Libraries. Special thanks to Ayako Letizia, MIT Video Production staff, Mary Hurley, The British Academy, and Lincoln College, Oxford.

Citation information: Authors: Jana Dambrogio, Daniel Starza Smith, and the Unlocking History Research Group. Title: "John Donne's tuck-and-seal letter to Sir Nicholas Carew, England (1625)," Letterlocking Instructional Videos. Unlocking History number 0030/Letterlocking Unique Video number: 030. Date filmed: February 2015. Duration: 2:40. Date posted: September 2016. Video URL: [Insert URL]. Date accessed: [Date].

Copyright 2015–present. Jana Dambrogio, Daniel Starza Smith, the Unlocking History Research Group, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). All rights reserved. The following copyrighted material is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/.... Contact the MIT Technology Licensing Office for any other licensing inquiries.

NB: Letterlock responsibly. Be mindful of open flames or hot tools.

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Vimeo URL: https://vimeo.com/letterlocking/tuckseal or    • Letterlocking: John Donne's tuck-and-seal ...