Locked documents in a gathered & tied binding, Italy (1570s-1650s) (UH0105, UH1982, UH2019, UH6071)

Letterlocking: Locked letters and other documents in a gathered and tied binding, Italy (1570s-1650s)

UH 0105, modelled after two gathered and tied bindings found in the Vatican Apostolic Archives, Fondo Veneto, Sezione II, 574-B (1646–1649) and UH 1982 after Vatican Apostolic Archive, Fondo Veneto II 0553, Vicenza, Italy (1564).

UH 2019, modelled after document authentication with folded corners found in the Vatican Apostolic Archives, Fondo Veneto, Sezione II 0572 Vicenza, Italy (1572–1599).

UH 6071, modelled after attached lock on a locked letter, found in the Vatican Apostolic Archive, Fondo Veneto II 902 Rome, Italy (13 July 1647).

This letter shows an example of a locked letter that was nestled with other documents in a bundle and tied with a cord, resulting in a "gathered and tied" binding. The other letters that are not letterlocked do have document security features built into them, such as the corner-folding traditions that continue into the 21st century. In the background are approximately 150 simulacra (detailed models of specific bindings and letters) of artifacts found in the Vatican Apostolic Archives. They are modelled after the (record group) Fondo Veneto Sezione II, where letterlocking was discovered in 2000.

There are also videos showing how other legal and accounting archival letters and bindings from the Fondo Veneto Sezione II function including the "filza" letters stored in textile bags, locked letters sewn into fascicles, and more.

We have news! Since this filming, our team of 11 researchers worked together to read an unopened letter virtually – the words and the folds – for the first time, without ever breaking its seal. What does the letter say? Head to our website https://www.letterlocking.org to learn all the details and celebrate the launch of letterlocking! Read our findings in our Nature Communications article, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21.... Visit our Dataverse, our open repository for data collected for this project: https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataver....

Produced, directed, funded, and demonstrated by Jana Dambrogio. Special thanks to Dr Enrico Flaiani, the Vatican Apostolic Archives staff, the Most Reverend Monsignor Sergio Pagano, B. Pagano, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, the Kittredge Foundation, and the American Academy in Rome.

Citation information: Authors: Jana Dambrogio and the Unlocking History Research Group. Title: "Locked letters and other documents in a gathered and tied binding, Italy (1570s-1650s)," Letterlocking Instructional Videos. Unlocking History number’s: 0105, 1982, 2019, 6071 /Letterlocking Unique Video number: 0105. Date filmed: October 2016. Duration: 13:04. Date posted: October 2016. Video URL: [Use URL below]. Date accessed: [Date].

Copyright 2016. Jana Dambrogio, Daniel Starza Smith, 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.

To find out more about letterlocking, visit http://letterlocking.org and follow us on social media @letterlocking.

YouTube URL: http://bit.ly/gtbinding or    • Locked documents in a gathered & tied bind...