Unlocking History number (UH#)
UH0028
Original
John Donne's triangle-locked letter to Sir Robert Cotton
Model and research notes
MIT Libraries, Unlocking History Research Group archive, MC0760, Box 17.
Letterlocking Unique Video number(s) (LUV #s) & Instructional video URLs
LUV028 alt ending https://youtu.be/eOAmh95hp5M
LUV029 https://youtu.be/Zq_7WcwS9Yg?si=qYVjRudT4sjGFHKU
Instructional video info transcription
Forthcoming
Letterlocking Category number (LC #)
LC23H
Letterlocking Format number (LF #)
4RW
Security score
High
Assessment of Confidence in assigning LC#
Attested
Substrate
Paper
Dimensions
Opened (in mm): H: 295 mm x W: 404 mm
Letterpacket (in mm): H: 75mm x W: 102mm
Manifestation
Opened
Distinctive letterlocking style(s)
Triangle Lock-SU
Possible oculus lock
Possible done-in-one lock
Locking mechanism
Lock
Security enhancements
Possible oculus lock
Letterlocking category formula (shorthand)
LC23
Fold + Slit/Hole + Adhere + Lock-SU
(F + S/H + A + LSU)
Letterlocking manipulation sequence (shorthand)
Forthcoming
Locking instructions
Bifolium fold, short-edge to short-edge fold, unfold, gatefold from short edges, short-edge to short-edge fold, slit perpendicular with fore-edge,
oculus lock-O, adhere.
Images
Forthcoming
Foldable(s)
Forthcoming
Step-by-steps
Forthcoming
Substrate map
Forthcoming
Virtual unfolding results
NA
Manipulations
Forthcoming
Writing: Vigule
Postal: NA
Opening: Tears
Filing (Storage, Display): Letter book hinged in, sewing holes
Repair: Mends, triangle cut out insert made bottom two back, gutter slits mended
Damage
NA
Features
Dirt on panels/ in crease
Radiating wrinkles
Article(s)
2023. Daniel Starza Smith & Jana Dambrogio. Letterlocking: securing correspondence before envelopes in Routledge Encyclopedia of the Renaissance World. Lauren Shohet, subject editor.
Book
Jana Dambrogio and Daniel Starza Smith with the Unlocking History Research Group. Letterlocking: The Hidden History of the Letter. Cambridge and London: MIT Press, 2025.
Authors: Jana Dambrogio, Daniel Starza Smith, and the Unlocking History Research Group. Title: ""John Donne's triangle-locked letter to Sir Robert Cotton, alt ending 1, England (c. 1602),"" Letterlocking Instructional Videos. Unlocking History number 0028/Letterlocking Unique Video number: 028. Date filmed: February 2015. Duration: 3:38. Posted: May 2016. Video URL: [Insert URL]. Date accessed: [Date].
Citation information
UH0028
Original
John Donne to Sir Robert Cotton, England (February 20, 1602), British Library, Cotton MS Cleopatra F. VII, fols. 293–294.
Model
MIT Libraries, Unlocking History Research Group archive, MC0760, Box 17.
Video
LUV 028
Jana Dambrogio, Daniel Starza Smith, and the Unlocking History Research Group, “John Donne's triangle-locked letter to Sir Robert Cotton, Alt. Ending 1, England (1602),” Letterlocking Instructional Videos. Unlocking History number 0028/Letterlocking Unique Video number: 028. Filmed: February 2015. Duration: 3:38. Posted: May 2016. URL: https://youtu.be/eOAmh95hp5M. Accessed: March 4, 2025.
LUV 029
Jana Dambrogio, Daniel Starza Smith, and the Unlocking History Research Group, “John Donne’s triangle-locked letter to Sir Robert Cotton, England (1602).” Letterlocking Instructional Videos. Unlocking History number 0029/Letterlocking Unique Video number: 029. Filmed: February 2015. Duration: 3:20. Posted: May 2016. URL: https://youtu.be/Zq_7WcwS9Yg. Accessed March 4, 2025.