Illustrated Letters

Often the expression of joy or affection, illustrated letters represent an irrepressible urge to picture language. They are evidence of the writer’s use of words and images to amplify the form and effect of a message. Illustrated letters have the ability to recreate the spirit and vivid imagination of an author, for with their very finger tips they are able to paint the sights, smells, sounds, memories, and emotions they need to convey. For this reason images should not be thought of as subsidiary to words, whether metaphorical or descriptive, often images can communicate what words cannot. For visual thinkers they are a means of connection in an effort to magnify humanity. New media has been the bullet in the pulsing heart of the personal letter, and with this we are losing something much more valuable. The etching of your lover, friend, or colleague’s handwriting seemed to have a distinctive style that captured the spontaneous nature of the moment. With a pen and paper, their eye and hands, they felt free enough to express their inner most thoughts by adding drawings or the scent of their favorite cologne to communicate their message more clearly.