Pen Pals

Yesterday, Awakenings' sister site, catnipoflife, featured a reflection about Pen Pals. Ah-h-h! Those were the days when letters were considered treasures since they were personally hand-written. But, have you ever thought about writing during Colonial times? Keep in mind we are looking back, way back, before the manual typewriter, the Bic pen, even the #2 pencil, all the way back to the 17th century.

Writing with a Quill Pen
Ink Bottle and Quill: Wikipedia

Colonial Times

The backdrop for a unique form of writing during Colonial times

reflected a dimly lit atmosphere absorbed in pungent aromas from the kitchen.

Puritan life was harsh with very few amenities. 

Jump back in times past

Before the typewriter

Even ballpoint pens

Pencils or paper bags

With the quill of a goose

Dip the sharp tip in ink

Scratch out a meager note

On paper made from rags

Fold the paper closed

Tightly smooth each edge

Seal with drops of wax

Press with a brass stamp

Visualize this early writing

Under the faint glow from burning fat

Where leftover grease saved for lighting

Renders your Colonial day lamp

Imagine tapping coded messages

Flicking beads upon an abacus

While tantalizing, pungent aromas

Hover lazily about the air

Jump back to colonial times

Find a place in the kitchen

Freshly baked breads, spicy fruit pies
Invite you to take a chair

A Colonial Kitchen in Williamsburg, VA

©2012
Awakenings

Into the 18th century, crude writing instruments penned famous documents, such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. The writing style was intricate taking hours upon hours to complete even the simplest of pages.

Have you ever written with a quill pen or hand-lettered a design in calligraphy?



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