Unlocking History number (UH#)
UH0174
Original
John Donne to Sir Edward Herbert (23 January 1615)
Model and research notes
MIT Libraries, Unlocking History Research Group archive, MC0760, Box 17.
Letterlocking Unique Video number(s) (LUV #s) & Instructional video(s) URL
LUV0174: https://youtu.be/j3NcsTWxBT4
Instructional video info transcription
Forthcoming
Letterlocking Category number (LC #)
LC06L
Letterlocking Format number (LF #)
4RT
Security score
Low
Assessment of Confidence in assigning LC#
Attested
Substrate
Paper
Dimensions
Opened (in mm): H: 205mm x W: 160mm
Letterpacket (in mm): H: 88mm x W: 65mm
Manifestation
Opened
Distinctive letterlocking style(s)
Tuck-and-seal
Locking mechanism
Tuck
Security enhancements
N/A
Letterlocking category formula (shorthand)
LC6
Fold + Tuck + Adhere
(F + T + A)
Letterlocking manipulation sequence (shorthand)
Fold + fold + fold + fold +fold + tuck + + adhere
Locking instructions
Bifolium Fold short-edge to short-edge fold. Keep folded.
Fold short-edge closed gatefold.
C- fold. Left and right edges towards the center, creating two closure flaps. Keep folded.
Create a pocket by expanding the right closure flap so the outer panel is on one side of the pocket and the remaining panels are on the other. Keep the pocket expanded.
Tuck the left closure flap into the right pocket and flatten the pocket.
Apply adhesive under the closure flap and over the outer panel of the closure flap and closure panel.
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: Tears, Seal tears
Filing (Storage, Display): NA
Repair: Mends, Linings, Inserts
Damage
Tears
Water stains and tidelines
Features
Dirt on panels/ in crease
Radiating wrinkles
Seal impression adjacency
Wrinkles
Article(s)
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)
UH0174
Original
John Donne to Sir Edward Herbert (23 January 1615), The National Archives, Kew, PRO 30/53/7/8, fol. 15.
Model
MIT Libraries, Unlocking History Research Group archive, MC0760, Box 17.
Video
UH0174 (LUV174)
Original: John Donne to Sir Edward Herbert (January 23, 1615). The National Archives, Kew, PRO 30/53/7/8, fol. 15.
Authors: Jana Dambrogio, Daniel Starza Smith, Dennis Flynn, and the Unlocking History Research Group, “Letterlocking: John Donne’s letter to Sir Edward Herbert, England (1615),” Letterlocking Instructional Videos. Unlocking History number 0174/Letterlocking Unique Video number: 0174. Filmed: November 2017. Duration: 4:10. URL: https://youtu.be/j3NcsTWxBT4. Accessed: March 28, 2025.