Unlocking History number (UH#)
UH0092
Original
Isabella Stewart Gardner’s letter to Mrs. Katharine Foote Rockwell from Boston, Massachusetts, (c.1886), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston.
Model and research notes
MIT Libraries, Unlocking History Research Group archive, MC0760, Box 26.
Letterlocking Unique Video number(s) (LUV #s) & Instructional video(s) URL
LUV092 https://youtu.be/QJuwRZJknf4
LUV244 https://youtu.be/70rtrUf-UoE
Instructional video info transcription
Forthcoming
Letterlocking Category number (LC #)
LC29L
Letterlocking Format number (LF #)
4RW
Security score
Low
Assessment of Confidence in assigning LC#
Attested
Substrate
Paper
Dimensions
Opened (in mm): H= 153mm x W = 197mm
Letterpacket (in mm): H= 75mm x W = 100mm
Manifestation
Opened
Distinctive letterlocking style(s)
Accessible edge
Locking mechanism
Lock
Security enhancements
NA
Letterlocking category formula (shorthand)
LC29
Fold + Adhere + Lock-SA
(F + A + LSA)
Letterlocking manipulation sequence (shorthand)
Fold + fold + fold + adhere + lock-SA + adhere
Locking instructions
Bifolium fold. Fold short-edge to short-edge. Keep folded. Adhere lock-SA onto the outer panel along the triangle-shaped edges of the lock. Apply red sealing wax to create an exposed seal with a seal-stamp bearing an owl.
Images
Forthcoming
Foldable(s)
Forthcoming
Step-by-steps
Forthcoming
Substrate map
Forthcoming
Virtual unfolding results
NA
Manipulations
Writing: NA
Postal: NA, No postage or postmarks. Hand-delivered to address in Boston?
Opening: Tears
Filing (Storage, Display): NA
Repair: NA
Damage
NA
Features
Dirt and oil stain along opening edges
Article(s)
NA
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)
Original UH0092
Isabella Stewart Gardner’s letter to Mrs. Katharine Foote Rockwell from Boston, Massachusetts, (c.1886), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston (ARC.007245).
Model
MIT Libraries, Unlocking History Research Group archive, MC0760, Box 26.
Video
LUV 092
Jana Dambrogio and the Unlocking History Research Group, “Accessible edge fold and adhere: Isabella Stewart Gardner’s locked letter to Mrs Rockwell, USA (1886).” Letterlocking Instructional Videos. Unlocking History numbers 0092/Letterlocking Unique Video number: 0092. Filmed: September 2016. Duration: 1:18. Posted: February 2020. URL: https://youtu.be/QJuwRZJknf4. Accessed: March 4, 2025.
LUV 244
Jana Dambrogio and the Unlocking History Research Group, “Hybrid lock-SA and Fold and Adhere Medley.” Letterlocking Instructional Videos. Unlocking History numbers 0081, 0082, 0083, 0084, 0086, 0092/Letterlocking Unique Video number: 244. Filmed: September 2016. Duration: beginning at 1:18. Posted: February 2020. URL: Accessible edge. Accessed: March 4, 2025.