Unlocking History number (UH#)
UH0001
Original and model and research notes
The first letterlocking video (2005): the triangle paper lock, Italy (1580s).
MIT Libraries, Unlocking History Research Group archive, MC0760, Boxes 1, 31.
Letterlocking Unique Video number(s) (LUV #s) & Instructional video(s) URL
LUV 001 https://youtu.be/OXG_3LU5tUA
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
Dimensions
Opened (in mm): 202mm x 295mm
Letterpacket (in mm): 57mm x 90mm
Substrate
Paper
Manifestation
Opened
Distinctive letterlocking style(s)
Triangle lock SU
Locking mechanism
Lock
Security enhancements
Text across lock and address panel
Authentication – seal stamp
Matching ink color
Matching handwriting
Matching lock with paper from which it was cut
Letterlocking category formula (shorthand)
Fold + fold + fold + fold +fold + slit + lock-SU + adhere
Locking instructions
Cut off triangle lock-SU. Set aside lock-SU. Fold short-edge to short-edge fold. Open. Fold short-edge closed gatefold. Fold short-edge to short-edge fold. Slit through all panels of the letterpacket. Lace tip of triangle lock-SU through slit. Shape lock tip. Apply adhesive. Wrap lock around accessible edges. Impress seal-stamp. Flip packet. Write address.
Images
Forthcoming
Foldable(s)
Forthcoming
Step-by-steps
Forthcoming
Substrate map
Forthcoming
Virtual unfolding results
NA
Manipulations
Writing: Margin folds
Postal: NA
Opening: Seal tears
Filing (Storage, Display): Cuts, Folds, Holes
Repair: Mends, Linings, Silking
Damage
Tears
Ink Corrosion
Wormholes
Features
Radiating wrinkles
Seal impression adjacency
Article
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.
Citation for the letter(s)
UH0001
Original and model
Jana Dambrogio, MIT Libraries, Unlocking History Research Group archive, MC0760, Boxes 1, 31.
Video
LUV001
Jana Dambrogio, “The first letterlocking video USA (2005): the triangle paper lock, Italy (1580s).” Letterlocking Instructional Videos. Filmed: June 2005. Posted: August 2015. Duration: 0:40. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXG_3LU5tUA. Accessed: March 4, 2025.