Victorian Letter-Writing Etiquette Rules

I find Victorian etiquette rules SO interesting and hope that you do too!
If you want to read Wentworth Hamilton's guide to letter-writing in full, you can find it here: archive.org/de...
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[@fenrirsrevenge3807]

Red ink is considered rude because years ago when they still kept ledgers they used red and black inks. Black for debit and red for credit. To write a letter with red ink could make the reader and people around them think that the letter is from the bank and that the person was on credit. Money was a very touchy subject back then.

[@RubyGranger8]

Oh that's fascinating! Thank you for sharing!

[@oceanheartz717]

oooh.. a little bit of an accounting history as well!

[@andina5269]

lol some still thinks like that till this day

[@andina5269]

lol some still thinks like that till this day

[@jamesaritchie1]

Money is still a very touchy subject.

[@fridaythevirgowitch]

Burning a letter after it's arrived and you've read it is the historical equivalent of deleting a text after you've read it. Just my thoughts

[@anthony-dc4dc]

snapchat

[@ghostsinthegraveyard5766]

Deleting a text only removes it from your view, you cannot delete the data off the cell provider's servers. not even close to equivalent.

[@fridaythevirgowitch]

@@ghostsinthegraveyard5766 Can you name anything better? Because last I checked next to nobody was burning their mail

[@ma_r1o24]

@@fridaythevirgowitch set your phone on fire

[@maxpower1337]

If it was a Bill some people burned it before reading it.

[@mauchkimberly]

I, with my left handed, reversed slope handwriting, am incredibly glad I was born in a different era. Very interesting topic though.

[@hmbee1110]

I was taught to turn your paper slightly to prevent sloping. For lefties it would be so that the top right corner is angled slightly lower than the left. This makes your natural hand position parallel to the top of paper and keeps your writing from sloping. Righties tilt the paper to downward to the left for the same effect.

[@woodfur00]

Don't forget the part where you get ink all over your hand

[@koifish4276]

i am left-handed and want to do this XD

[@yonicorn1641]

Me: omg writing with a quill or a fountain pen looks so fancy! I should try one as well!!! Also me: *remembers she is left handed and would smudge absolutely everything* ...nevermind

[@DanceSeek]

I went to school at the end of the era when penmanship was taught, and I remember instruction for lefties. That reverse slant was considered quite correct, and I think you would not have received reproach even in Victorian times. We were taught to slant the paper to achieve an elegant cursive incline, and to avoid getting our hands in the wet ink (though we weren't still using dip or fountain pens by then)! This was accomplished with the opposite slant for left-handed writers. Pretending to be right-handed by approaching from the top and looping over the text written so far was strongly discouraged.

[@aoife7025]

How to sign off letter: Sincerely me

[@RubyGranger8]

I love this! Hands down one of the best musical soundtracks there is!

[@megl9638]

bee ღ she does! In a video that she posted last year, she was dancing and singing to it while cooking at uni!

[@RubyGranger8]

@bee ღ it's impossible not to!

[@noramcnabb1361]

MiSs yoU DeRLy

[@aoife7025]

Nora McNabb SinCeRlY mE

[@asexualtrickster]

Writing to a gentleman in 1892: "written well with wit, to such a quality that it is worthy of being published." Writing to a gentleman in 2020: "lol u up bae?"

[@weepingcamel1]

The main difference being the quality of the gentlemen in question I think.

[@ApartmentKing66]

@@weepingcamel1 Agreed...the word "gentleman" is used quite loosely in 2020. The "gentleman" is an endangered species. Not too many adult male humans (notice I didn't say "men") these days conduct themselves as "gentlemen."

[@weepingcamel1]

@@ApartmentKing66 and in what is considered witty, of which, "u up bae?" is unfortunately considered of as a prime example. The sad truth is, in our attempt to eliminate class distinction, notions of true gentility and good breeding quickly fell victim, while class division remained (if not further entrenched)

[@simjans7633]

Nobody does anything properly today, everything was better back when *insert heavily romanticized/misrepresented moment in history*. Sigh, I was born in the wrong generation. 😩😩😩

[@ryanthomas2374]

@@weepingcamel1 Or how society has destroyed chivalry and demonizes men. I dont give a shit, i think chivalry is bullshit anyways but dont go thinking that it was men that ended it.

[@LadyVineXIII]

Fun fact: Never write a Koreans name in Red Ink unless they are dead. A Korean's name written in red denote that the bearer is deceased. I found this out in lighting class at college when we did colour study.

[@nothanks673]

Or blue

[@worstusernameintheworld9871]

same in Japan

[@dwightschrute4560]

I learned that from Kim's Convenience.

[@jammingpython8986]

Time to write Kim Jong Un name in red ink!

[@rajvanshiaditya]

Superstitious beliefs are everywhere, Asia in particular.

[@steorbord]

victorians: never write anonymously! also victorians: vinegar valentines amirite

[@kuro-kuromi32]

also victorians: writes and publishes at least 3 books under anonymous pen names

[@DinnerForkTongue]

Victorian Britain was the pinnacle of hypocrisy.

[@woodfur00]

Thing is, if you're anonymous, no one knows it's you, do they? No consequences.

[@kh23797]

@@DinnerForkTongue Hypocrisy is as old as mankind, but the Victorians also achieved a heck of a lot. While the phrase 'can-do attitude' might be new, the sentiment was everywhere in Victoria's day, and Britons remain a resourceful bunch. Even in countries where the anglophone world (the UK, USA, etc.) is despised as the Devil's work, use of western technical advances, scientific knowledge, cars, 'planes, vaccines, electronics, materials, etc. is ubiquitous. Aren't _they_ the hypocrites?

[@MybeautifulandamazingPrincess]

@@kh23797 Do you actually think the UK government is the pinnacle of mankind? A lot of advancement was made in the 1800s, art, science, etc, but they were made by Europeans in general, and other people too, not only British Well I have a special disdain and spite for the UK government because I'm a Russian descendant and the UK crown denied help to Russia in the civil war, and denied asylum to emperor Nicholas and his family, even though king George was a direct cousin of emperor Nicholas, which culminated in their murder. the UK government basically helped bolsheviks perpetrate the coup d'etat in Russia. Why do people even use these british crown names to denote time frames anyway? Victorian? Edwardian? Most Americans aren't even british, there are more Irish and Germans who make up the US population than British

[@skipalidon]

It is an old tradition of our family that we preserve letters from our family for the expressed reason of maintaining our family history. We know our genealogy going back at least ten generations. It’s through these letters that we can confirm our family’s lore when found in formal documents. It’s interesting to read what they thought in their day. Thank you for your insight to the attitudes of the 19th century. We learned something new today.

[@millienne8201]

I would love to start a tradition like this in my family, except I don’t want kids and my family isn’t into this like I am. The legacy will die out with me, lol.

[@yolandamcclellan643]

That is a most wonderful tradition!

[@crystalsnow3558]

That is awesome

[@Blue-lc5np]

That’s such a cool tradition!!!

[@djt-lu8tw]

Interesting. The purpose for formality probably functioned to maintain some regularity along the timeline.

[@silver5515]

A friend has a stack of letters, that his grandparents wrote to each other while engaged. They had a long distance relationship and wrote every single day for a year. His grandmother took care of the letters after their marriage, and passed it on when she passed. Some parts were removed, showing how they did sometimes write things not fit for others eyes. I think that is just so sweet.

[@ThePeaceableKingdom]

Bravo! What a treasure!

[@vanessaval9325]

Like the movie The Notebook💌👩‍❤️‍👨

[@frenchfriar]

My grandmother had a few old family "round robin" letters that were passed down that were passed along from one person to another (usually siblings). They put the old letter in a new envelope, and added a letter of their own, and apparently they made a specific route, and the letters would be taken out when they got back to the original writer. They are very newsy letters form family members that are very much fun to read. They would also include cabinet photographs sometimes, which was very nice.

[@katiekawaii]

That is so cool

[@DavidRoth]

I have a small journal that my best friend and I have been sending back and forth for a few years now. We're very irregular with it, but we both enjoy it immensely.

[@anadandrade8064]

i feel so bad for people with a bad memory in the victorian era. i would never survive

[@lyingcat9022]

If you kept a journal it would be no problem. And one could probably write a quick and dirty rough draft, fix any errors, then once you are happy copy it slow and smoothly to your final letter :)

[@anadandrade8064]

@@lyingcat9022 Oooh that makes sense 🙈

[@LenoreGhostGirl]

It would've been tasks that everyone naturally knew though, if you know what I mean. For instance, we know to wave at someone if they wave at us, or cover our mouth if we cough. Hope that summarises it for you. :)

[@evanbrown7325]

You'd be a fine commoner

[@diehgo_sp]

I'll write a letter to my girlfriend following this rules, considering that few people here in Brazil speak English, I'm sure she won't find this video and will believe I've suddenly become a gentleman.

[@ilasantarosa7195]

No que deu?

[@asmkilla4336]

No que deu?

[@padawan6853]

No que deu?

[@ralphdaub]

No que deu brother?

[@erebus3218]

No que deu?

[@applerave3712]

This makes me want to write letters

[@valeriepitre9855]

Same

[@myaltissoslay]

ग

[@GiftSparks]

My mother-in-law recently passed. I found that it gave us an enormous sense of comfort to send handwritten letters to thank people for their expressions of sympathy.

[@christopherellis2663]

It so annoys me that one must pay more for unlined notebooks, whereas lined notebooks are somewhat childish.

[@johnburt1172]

"This makes me want to write letters". Good.

[@nyx1795]

Ruby has this knack for posting incredibly educational videos about the most random things.....as a science student, I didn't know 'letter writing etiquette' was a thing or that dashes were so significant in literature,but now I can't imagine life without it haha... Love you, Ruby💛

[@torybruno7952]

"Breeding", in this context, was not literally "DNA", but rather a person's upbringing and education. Obviously, they considered this to be related to one's family and class, as these would be generally correlated to the manners a person would be taught. It is a subtle difference, but a difference none the less.

[@Draconicrose]

I was thinking this as she said it. Of course sending a letter on high quality paper with proper grammar and spelling, fancy penmanship and expensive ink shows your breeding. Poor people would be hard-pressed to have these things. (I think this came out more formal than intended because of the subject, but it amused me, so I'm leaving it like that :P )

[@kurtrustled7801]

Funny how you try to spin this to fit modern sensibilities. The word "breeding" was indeed meant to draw the link between DNA and class. Having class was linked to being born of high class (nature AND nurture). Ever read Plato? These are old concepts. It's amazing how we have been irrationally programmed in the West to feel repulsion to such an idea. Here's a trick, just think of it like breeding horses. You can breed horses for speed, strength, intelligence, and even personality traits. Obviously, dogs as well. Really you can apply proper breeding to all animals, humans included.

[@jogennotsuki]

@@kurtrustled7801 Feeling repulsion towards repulsive old ideas is how society makes progress.

[@kurtrustled7801]

​@@jogennotsuki Please explain why you think it is repulsive to acknowledge having class is inborn, in addition to being taught. Or are you just a mindless echo?

[@jogennotsuki]

@@kurtrustled7801 Because it's a nonsensical delusion that also happens to lead to genocide. Are you too mindless to realize that?

[@davidevans3175]

Sealing wax will not go through modern postal machines, I was advised by my local post office to place a letter with sealing wax inside a larger regular envelope.

[@Seagrovelane]

you could use an ink stamp ........

[@Sunny-ot1vo]

Modern sealing wax is more flexible than traditional ones. They should be fine. I've never had any problems. I've sent letters to local friends. My sister had seals made for her wedding invitations. They went through the mail well. The letters traveled across the US from coast to coast.

[@Tmanaz480]

An alternative is an adhesive wafer.

[@livinginthenow]

Writing letters used to be an extremely important thing for family members. My grandmother, whose parents were raised during the Victorian era, was one of 13 siblings. Once they reached adulthood, they developed the habit of circulating and supplementing letters amongst them. Specifically, Sibling A would write to Sibling B telling them all that was going on in their lives. Then Sibling B would write a similar type of letter and send it to Sibling C ALONG WITH the original letter from Sibling A. And so on it would go so that all 13 siblings would get a chance to share their news with their other siblings. This system was rather genius, imo, because it meant that you only had to write a single letter 3 or 4 times a year to keep in touch with your 12 siblings, rather than 12 letters 3 or 4 times a year. All this was necessary because they were scattered geographically along settlements just north or south of the US-Canadian border from the Dakotas to Vancouver BC and rarely saw each other in person.

[@riversun2531]

I adore how making sure a guest is equipped with letter writing supplies is the equivalent of letting a friend borrow a phone charger should they need it

[@CatholicZola]

I just found this video and I'm loving the comments remarking on the modern equivalents of these Victorian practices! I think you're particularly right with this one 😂

[@robinhood1627]

I regards to the letter burning; I also think that these days we are more aware of the value of preserving things for posterity than the Victorians were. In the Victorian age everything new was better, they saw themselves as the pinnacle of human civilisation. These days we're always looking back to the past and romanticising it.

[@RubyGranger8]

Hi Robin! This is very very true -- I didn't think about it like that x

[@jamesaritchie1]

Many things about the past were far better than things are today. It isn't romanticizing when you're talking about facts

[@billycohan6975]

@@RubyGranger8 Also, considering that all news of whatever nature were conveyed through letters, it appears perfectly sensible for people to only keep those letters that were of a certain personal significance to them

[@csucskos]

I'd say they burnt letters just as we do. But nowadays only very fancy occasions result in a letter, back then it was the norm. And what I'm referring to is that I delete my incoming emails pretty often and not treasure them just because I recieved them. Obviously there are some really personal mails I keep, but most of it goes right into the trash after reading.

[@fruitygarlic3601]

The Victorians were also guilty of romanticising the past, even when that hindered their society. This is not a modern thing. I believe that our interest in old personal letters is because modern forms of communication do not leave less of a physical trace. Prior to Victorian letter burning, personal notes carved into birch wood were thrown in piles.

[@xavierrodriguez1370]

In China writing in red ink was used only for when announcing a death. Maybe it has to do.

[@Rainaman-]

Mao: "we just run out of red ink"

[@arizonagreenbee]

It's more about red ink being reserved for budgeting/financial affairs, but quite possibly

[@oliviabrandi5347]

It's amazing to me how similar Victorian letter writing etiquette is to today's email writing etiquette. At least for work purposes, we have official greetings, how to style what you want to say, and pre-saved signatures in our email inboxes. But of course, those rules go right out the window when sending personal emails to family and friends. It's always so interesting to look at history and see what's changed but also what's still the same. Thank you for a fascinating video, Ruby!

[@AAAndrew]

As an old person (50's), we were actually taught in school the proper way to structure a letter, where to put the date, your name, the signature, etc... This was taught in typing class. We were taught the difference between all of these for a professional letter, vs. a personal letter. Many of these rules are retained today, and can be traced back to at least Victorian times, and some much earlier.

[@ellariel7457]

Wilhelm ᚹᛁᛚᚺᛖᛚᛗ᛫ᛋᛖ᛫ᛚᛇᚱᚾᛁᛝᛣᚾᛁᚺᛏ Yes, but from the generation that remembers typing class (👵🏻 60 inna minit), I think we were also taught rules of correspondence earlier, during English composition. English, whether grammar/writing, or literature/reading, was a perennial part of the curriculum, whereas typing was a high school "elective" (though not really optional for college-track students - or women who hoped for ... or feared ... a future in the workplace). Basic letter writing skills were still considered important, at least in matters of high etiquette like thank-yous to grandparents, etc.😅, and were taught in school at a young age, as well as likely being taught - and certainly reinforced - at home, as well. In fact, we were expected to write home to our parents as we became old enough for the gradual independence of activities like camp, vacations with friends , etc. It was an obligation that made every kid groan, but we were all aware of it. Of course, that's all blanketed in a very middle-class WASPy haze - YMMV. 😉 In fact, in the 60s, and even into the 70s, there were still vestiges of the letter writing culture of my grandmother's day ... when ladies - certainly Southern ladies - would never be without a selection of not only proper stationery, but also fine and lovely notecards to hand for ready communication at a moment's notice. Classic fine laid papers were most formal, but as time wore on, for simpler, "friendly" communications, commercially printed decorative notecards became more and more acceptable. The vestiges of that practice can still be in the aisles of stationers - and even Target - today. They say the art of letter-writing is dead ... debatable - but its beautiful substrate definitely lives on.

[@woodfur00]

21 and learned both cursive and the basic format of a letter in third grade, although we certainly didn't go into much if any detail on different styles for different occasions.

[@davida.rosales6025]

Modern rules are pretty lax in comparison. One gets by quite well as long as one is clear, polite and efficient.

[@achillendimond2124]

This is the most Hermione Granger vibes and I love it

[@elementproject2896]

i thought i was the only one lol

[@microwavetrash2501]

she sounds just like young emma watson

[@SJHFoto]

What does this mean?

[@4MXW]

@@SJHFoto there will be a sequel... maybe

[@Strange9952]

Knowledgeable and noble

[@ainradzi5828]

issit just me or she sounds like hermione granger or emma watson herself? shsh LOVE

[@abeehahassan857]

Nurul Ain yaass

[@kirbyallison]

It's not just you.

[@festus7493]

Haha her last name is actually Granger

[@RayaanWani]

@Yee Lam Lee srsly?

[@festus7493]

@Rayaan Faiz Yeah. Check out her channel. its awesome

[@Touchgrassbro68]

Ruby, sorry, but I think the photo of the penmanship you included in the video isn’t copperplate but spencerian 😅. Spencerian was used in the time of the victorian era too but it was used in America (if I’m not mistaken). Also, I think people would burn their letters because it included private & sensitive topics and they really want to just keep it to themselves and not let anyone know 🤷🏻‍♀️ and now, people have found the benefit of burning letters because now, old letters are being sold and nobody would want anyone to read their personal letters 😅 but personally, I also would never think of burning letters people sent me.

[@YouTubeUserAlbert]

Close, but the shading on the swells is not exaggerated enough for Spencerian. Her exemplar looks to be Business Penmanship, which is a simplified version of Spencerian. It’s absolutely not Copperplate, though. 😂

[@fridasimpson9186]

There is a video on KZbin of Terry Pratchett talking about his book "going postal" and in it he says that in central London in the Victorian era there where 8 postal delivery's a day, so I think if people didn't burn some letters, they would have a house full of them!

[@ahgrieser]

The whole burning letters thing reminded me a lot of how some people delete emails and some people (myself included) keep old emails around in case they need to be searched through in the future

[@TheHollyChronicle]

This is such an interesting topic!

[@pfyiadministration1263]

I really appreciate her for taking the time to do the video. I enjoy the education of victorian writing

[@anajulianocera1406]

YES YES YES Ruby's videos on the Study Tube Project are my favourites, please continue talking about literature and victorian things. Sending love

[@zestymoo]

I got into fountain pens about two years ago and I thought the pens would be the only thing to catch my interest, but now I'm deep in the rabbit hole of pens, paper, and ink! It's a never ending quest to find a combination of all three that is perfect. I've learned so much about paper and it's quality in regards to how well it absorbs ink, and how the ink and pen interact with eachother to create a "wet" or "dry" writing feel. Now I've got far too many pens, far too much ink, and my notebook addiction is in full force. I've gotten back into writing letters now too and I joined a group of fountain pen pals! It's a lot of fun to be able to write letters again; I grew up in the 90s, before internet and email became mainstream. The only way I had to keep in contact with my friends was by writing letters. You can imagine how consistent that was for a bunch of 10-12 year olds. It's so much easier now as an adult, even with all of the responsibilities that come with having to pay bills and taxes.

[@AannshaJones]

My father used to use his signet ring to use on his seals. (I know, amazing that someone in living memory actually used sealing wax)! I noticed your seal got stuck in the wax. One tip my father gave me was to lick the seal (or signet ring) first so that it wouldn't stick to the wax. I suppose in today's era of better hygiene, one could use a little olive oil, or maybe even water on the seal.

[@jamesaritchie1]

Using dip pens rather than fountain pens made good sense. Fountain pens were around for decades before they became reliable. The best of them leaked, burped ink, or simply made words so uneven the page looked horrible. The first reliable fountain pen didn't come along until the late 1880s, and even it was far from perfect. It wasn't until the Conklin Crescent Fill was invented in 1898 that the world had a self-filling fountain pen, which made it far, far more reliable.

[@ryanthomas2374]

This girl reminds me way to much of Hermione Granger when she talks.

[@weepingcamel1]

5:53 I like how she first puts down a dipping pen, a paper holder, then commences to write, on an iPad XXXD

[@Draconicrose]

Just because they expect an email there's no reason not to send a written letter! 😛

[@roisinfinnegan3488]

I found it so interesting how much you could tell about Victorian culture from the rules around letters. Thanks for another wonderful video Ruby!

[@RubyGranger8]

I know! I feel like that's the case with etiquette in general -- it's a way for us to understand not only behaviours, but inner dialogues, of people (given how we think some of the rules were just too strict!) x

[@misterminutes4504]

I found my people! ~ *Anyways, time to write to my lover who is an army soldier who is in the war.*

[@Monosekist]

We think there were so many rules, yet we have the 1100 page long Chicago Manual of Style.

[@francescaafruni3273]

I didn’t know anything about this, It’s always nice to learn something new! ✨ Also loved the little dumbledore reference!! c;

[@jewelshaun840]

My handwriting is trash... I'll go sob at the corner of my room contemplating "what if I was born in that era?" And cry.

[@ponugups]

On the contrary, your schooling and peers would have had taught you how to write.

[@jewelshaun840]

@@ponugups I tried to train my hands to write pretty, I practiced for a year but still, my handwriting could be considered ugly in that era.

[@alfredoprime5495]

@@jewelshaun840 my handwriting used to be passable when I was in school, but after decades of pretty much only typing on a computer keyboard it now looks as if I had never picked up a pen in my life. Even my signature is wonky now! LOL!

[@johnbeauvais3159]

Could be worse, imagine being left handed back then

[@thebluebell89]

I too won't. Be writing letters to thrill anyone

[@calvb8349]

Just ordered "Good Form Letter Writing: Its Ethics And Etiquette, With Remarks On The Proper Use Of Monograms, Crests, And Seals (1894)". Can't wait! Thank you.

[@photoboyjet]

When I was in the Army back in the late 1970s, I had a friend who frequently received letters from his grandfather who had studied penmanship probably in the 1920s. His handwriting was so ornate and beautiful, I am surprised that the post office could deliver them.

[@JerryMac1125]

Thank You so much, this was very refreshing ! I am 70 years old and believe it or not was taught all of these things as a young child in school. Today however, cursive writing is not even taught in most schools in my country, The US 😞😞

[@pbasswil]

Your accent is interesting - you've lived abroad, haven't you? We mostly hear south of England (and not working class, if I can put it that way); but I repeatedly hear the occasional word or phoneme that sounds North American!

[@danialwzn9039]

Red ink is for marking papers

[@comradewindowsill4253]

@@usrower75 once gifted my favorite teacher a set of nice gel ballpoints in various colours for just this purpose ;)

[@JohnVianneyPatron]

Well researched. I learned so much in 13 mins. And there was no waffle at all - Good job!

[@wednesrae]

beautiful, ruby! very interesting! amazing amazing amazing, well done :)

[@johnrapp1116]

This is the most charming, relaxing and nicest thing I’ve seen on the internet in years. More of this!

[@gardener5857]

Youth today are curious things. You couched this by saying people "were under quite a lot of pressure" to produce a good letter. No. It was just what was expected of people, as that is the primary way they communicated.

[@frontotemporal]

I *love* writing letters and this was very insightful. Thank you so much, Ruby!! 💐

[@PixelPumpkin]

Love that etiquette already dictated to give overnight guests the wifi password so they can communicate with home.

[@irenejohnston6802]

I believe the French word etiquette was a reference to an invitation or 'ticket' which gave entree to social events. This would keep out anyone not of the same social class. You might be able to talk the talk but could you walk the walk? Each social class tried to ape its 'betters'. Remember at public assemblies a Master of Ceremonies made the proper introductions. cf Jane Austin

[@josiemakes]

Love that subtle hint at Dumbledore 😂 great video and very interesting!

[@GoblinHero]

KZbin it is 4am, why have you brought me here? . . . subscribed

[@judica8873]

I'm 70 yrs old and have never considered handing my lovely handwritten missives over to high technology-spell check-font selection-et al etc etc algorithms. I send forth my handwritten letters to all of my siblings, & the nieces & nephews they have given me, as an example & encouragement in the art of letter writing the old fashioned way. Anyway, they appreciate receiving my letters & get a kick out of writing letters in reply. I just love your video on the etiquette but only wish I could have sent you a handwritten note to tell you. Long comment, wasn't it?

[@ciannacoleman5125]

As someone who uses a variety of paper weights for art purposes and is just getting into writing with a fountain pen I fully agree on having quality paper and pens. Quality tools make all the difference in any endeavor. I too dislike lines on paper when doing a refined corespondent or “finished works” vs drafting, a good way around that is having a line guide under the paper vs having slightly wavy lines.

[@bryanfletcher-nz8229]

I hope this makes others buy fountain pens because it is such a worthwhile hobby. Very well done, I particularly liked the opinion on paper quality and will be looking for thick envelopes. You're right, the first thing you will notice is how much care was taken in addressing the envelope and it's feel. To waterproof (rainproof) the address, once blotted or dry, rub a candle over it to leave a layer to shield. I wonder how long their turnaround was for corresponding.

[@Imurai]

Me: watches heavy metal music videos, blacksmithing vlogs, mead and ale making, car videos and all around manly stuff KZbin: here's a video of a young English girl explaining Victorian letter etiquette Me: Get the f... huh, interesting

[@gaylordsupreme8824]

Well, nothing is more attractive than a person that can be very masculine and "strong" while also showing a well mannered, softer side and being secure in it. No go and get yourself someone to write lovely handwritten loveletters to, signed with a little heart made of motor oil

[@Imurai]

@@gaylordsupreme8824 you DON'T want anybody to get tortured by my handwriting (I have muscular atrophy, so it won't even get better by practicing)

[@gaylordsupreme8824]

@@Imurai fair enough, my handwriting isn't the prettiest either. (But if you ever wanna make something cute in a similar direction, a little tip from me: print out some pictures of you and the person you're sending them to and just add some notes on. They don't have to be written prettily. Put them in a pretty envelope and send them off via snail mail. Write on the envelope a date when the recipient shall open it and send them flowers on the same day if they're into it. Worked absurdly well with my ex when we were still together)

[@Imurai]

@@gaylordsupreme8824 gonna remember that, thanks!

[@c.s.oneill2079]

This was a sweet conversation that began with adorable thoughts. Best wishes to you both.

[@oldmanpatriot1490]

This is a clear example of how far our society has fallen,,, But you young lady,, You are a gem.. Thank you for this video.

[@isakathe1934]

This was fascinating to learn more about, thank you! I personally love writing letters but I am evidently guilty of making several Victorian etiquette mistakes. At least I don't write in red!

[@seye8eyes]

Good Handling Handwritten Calligraphic to the Right side Tilting with love Smooths with Great Carved like to cheek's of Ass Asset's of But But Faithfulness

[@moonlightsnowfall6734]

This was a lot of fun to watch. I understand that you can breathe on your seal, like you would cleaning your glasses, before pressing it into the wax, and the condensation will help prevent it sticking. I'd love to hear if that works!

[@shutterchick79]

Why didn't I think of this as a quarantine project? Victorian era style letter writing. I have friends who would have enjoyed this...

[@ヘシャムマリアム]

I've no words to describe this ruby really it is Mermazing!!❤️❤️ Thank you so much for this video! Now i could think of something new during quarantine😅 i really love the idea of handwriting and how to use pens and to write letters it's all so interesting!! It will help me a lot in writing letters! And specially how to end the letter by writing yours or sincerely.. Also i didn't know it wrong to write i hope though it doesn't make any sense for me but i was writing it anyways😂 so thank you so so much again ruby hope you are having a lovely day so far! ❤️

[@magicrofichannel1126]

I have bought many expensive books on calligraphy, but what really worked was the John Rubeus method. 3 bucks on amazon...before I knew it I was writing like I was from the 18th century. Cool..

[@kathleenmaealariao5892]

I didn't know I've been writing that way..

[@valarkov6455]

Thank you for the video! .. I´m writing a letter for my friend in France right now and I´m using the same fountain pen 🙂, Lamy Al star EF nib - Waterman/Parker/Lamy/Cross inks.. Take care, V.

[@Summer-fv9eq]

5:06 Timestamp of the calligraphy chart.

[@calvb8349]

Thank you for this video, very interesting.... I love handwriting, especially beautiful fonts..

[@dakotakl6729]

Me: finds a rare smart person on the internet whom shares my fascination with the victorian period: *subs*

[@june8436]

her own channel is Ruby Granger if you’re interested

[@sirChaos-bv8ih]

Dear Ruby Granger. I am aware that I am four years late for addressing you and you might not read this message; however, I want to thank you. It has always been hard for me to find something I am truly interested in, but thanks to you, I have discovered the art of letter-writing. I am deeply grateful for this discovery your influence has caused, and I wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation. Thank you once again.

[@bluefox7678]

I love writing letters! Thank you so much. I really, really want a fountain pen (because it looks soooo good) but a ballpoint will have to do for now. I love how you sealed the envelope. One of my friends is a gentleman so I guess my letters are going to have to be really good.😄

[@pfyiadministration1263]

You should really invest in getting and learning to use a fountain pen. It becomes so touching

[@bluefox7678]

@@pfyiadministration1263 This is an old comment and I still stand! I have sent many letters to my friend overseas but thinking of finding a pen pal.

[@WackyWitchTV]

This video made me want to return to my past life so much!

[@Sarahr98998]

Yeah I still get annoyed if someone hands me something written in red pen lol. Guess that one carried over

[@adamromero]

Red makes people mad

[@markangelovalencia685]

What app is she using in her ipad/tablet in writing letters?

[@fresch4853]

Dear Lady, this user is very grateful for the nicely put together information given to him by this KZbinr. Sincereley yours

[@timberlyncarthins6096]

I'm very late to find this so nobody's going to see this comment. But fun fact! The reason that leaving margins became such a common theme in papers (not just at this time) was because of the severe rat problem that would become common in a lot of homes. If they ate the edges of the paper, then the contents of the letter would be left unharmed

[@ananyaiyer19]

This just made me want to be alive during the Victorian times

[@JohnVianneyPatron]

I don't think you, as a woman, would have enjoyed it much😅

[@ananyaiyer19]

@@JohnVianneyPatron now that I think about it, I wouldn't have 😂

[@هدي-ه8ظ]

@@JohnVianneyPatron I mean I would. Women hardly had to do anything lol

[@devisankhla4788]

@@هدي-ه8ظ well, as usual, the rich had it better. I doubt we’d enjoy being peasants and die due to lack of...everything.

[@nicnaknoc]

I write a lot of letters each week and love receiving them too, I do burn them after reading thou unless they have information I need to hold on to for later. Think I might try some of these "rules" in my next letters, would be fun to see if my friends pick up on them or just "write" them off as my normal weirdness :D (come to think that the little emoticons of today might be very similar to the ribbons and decorated paper of the Victorians).

[@iainsan]

When I was at uni in the late 70s and early 80s, my friends and I all wrote letters to each other during the holidays when we weren't seeing each other every day. It was a real treat to get one of these letters and I really miss the custom now.

[@AAAndrew]

I have a book from 1840s called "The Art of Good Behavior and Letter Writer on Love, Courtship and Marriage. A Complete Guide for Ladies and Gentlemen, particularly those who have not enjoyed the advantages of Fashionable Life. Containing directions for giving and attending parties, balls, weddings, dinners, etc.... Including the necessary preparations and arrangement for the wedding ceremony." (they loved long titles) In it are dozens and dozens of sample letters for all occasions. This one was for when someone expressed interest in you, and you did not return their interest. I call it the Swipe Left letter. "Sir, I had the honor of receiving your note of yesterday, soliciting a further correspondence and acquaintance with me. Highly as I must appreciate the regard you are pleased to express for me, I feel it my duty to decline the honor you intend me, for the reason mentioned in your Letter. Trusting that your flattering preference may be transferred to someone more worthy, who may also be free to reciprocate your feelings. I am, very respectfully, Your humble servant, (name here)"

[@swymaj02]

This is pretty cool to learn.

[@doriemckay6935]

I came across a type written letter addressed to my mother during WW2 and in the upper right margin was the person's address of correspondence. Some old ways do prevail. As a teenager we used to put on lipstick to blot on the back of the envelope and write; S.W.A.K., which meant Sealed With A Kiss, I learned letter composition as a child and your salutations and signatures were taught to me the same way. I once got letters with sealing wax bc it became a fad once again. No family crests, however. The sexist idea that a woman couldn't use hubby's sealing wax with his crest is demeaning to her.

[@andreraymond6860]

Proper letter writing truly is a lost discipline. My wife had a friend who loved to write. I had a friend who was into anachronisms. We asked them to participate in an experiment. He wrote her a letter to which she responded. All correspondence went through us, so as to maintain their anonymity. They were free to write in any way they wished and wrote under assumed names. This went on for nearly a year. It was great fun, until they got annoyed with the whole thing and one of them broke off the experiment.

[@pfyiadministration1263]

Letter written is so personal and touching

[@judybraden1553]

WOW! Honey , I am from the US... your should write book it Keep up the good work!

[@warmsmellofbooks9499]

I absolutely love this . Ruby always choose beautiful things .

[@PyramidXSlender]

Thank you very much! That was a very useful video. Your handwriting is very tasteful, I envy your pen pals.

[@thecosplaykid875]

Why does she remind me of her Hermione Granger lol 😆

[@LadyDragoncat]

Should you burn your letters...? Depends on what's written on them, I'd say. There are some things you would never want your descendants to read about you.

[@archi_pepper]

Nowadays in Portugal it is still rude to use red ink when writing something to someone. It is considered a way to say "f*** you" 0.0

[@Draconicrose]

I didn't expect someone else to post this and was about to do it myself! The other day, a classmate of mine referenced wanting to write a letter to our institution in red pen. I immediately got a mental whiplash to 20 years ago when I learned of what it means!

[@MybeautifulandamazingPrincess]

Still today in most schools students aren't allowed to write with red ink. It's reserved for teachers for correcting lessons I think the color red is just symbolic of calling your attention and often for bad stuff

[@livegamingandarthdaaa5271]

The no red ink in side the letter rule is because that was considered a threat.

[@AAAndrew]

You would often write at least two drafts of important letters. One, with cross-outs and sloppy handwriting and changes. Then a clean copy in your best hand. Knowing this, informs our understanding of the conversations in Pride and Prejudice about Mr. Bingly always blotting and crossing out half his words, etc.. It shows him to be a lazy and disrespectful correspondent. And when Mr. Darcy stays up all night writing to Elizabeth to justify his actions after the failed proposal, one suspects it took all night because he took the time to make a clean and clear copy. When writing business correspondence, the original draft was often kept and filed as a record of what was sent, and "Draft" was written on it. Filing correspondence, and retrieving old correspondence, was a key skill of a secretary, whether personal or professional. Thomas Jefferson used a "polygraph" which creates multiple copies of a single letter at one time to make several copies which he filed using his own method. This way we have much of his correspondence. This is a rich topic and was so important to everyday interactions between people until the widespread use of the telephone.

[@HFaden-vl8qn]

There is one general rule I only learned when studying history: If there are rules that are repeated time and again, it does not mean that their ruling was widely accepted. It rather meant the opposite. The more often a rule needed to be repeated, reprinted and society reminded, the more likely was reality to not having followed this rule; hence the reminding. One of my favourite modern-day examples about this were copyright clips at the beginning of DVDs. Looking back, one could assume with there having been so many of these and such a range from comedic to dramatic, that this was a very important rule, following by almost everyone as it was so very present. However, the opposite ist true. Of course this doesn't mean one can turn any rule into the opposite and get a clear picture of what society was like. Other evidence is needed. But I thought I should mention this.

[@mac2894]

I found this because I'm studying 18th century writing now; this is quite a bit later but you would be surprised to learn how much it overlaps.

[@antoniacosmai6670]

mac2894 you mean 18th century calligraphy?

[@mac2894]

@@antoniacosmai6670 No, writing.

[@ThirrinDiamond]

Let's remember also that etiquette guides existing implies people needed it to be taught and it wasn't common In fact people think the victorians were prim and proper cus so many karens wrote into papers to say stuff with a "these hooligans are cavorting around in the streets, *minding* their own business! ☹ Here's how people should act according to me" vibe But people misunderstood those complaining thought pieces as description of common knowledge

[@BoltofGreece]

I actually follow these rules when writing to my gf, and to my family, very interesting reactions let me tell you

[@ponugups]

So, any updates?

[@BoltofGreece]

@@ponugups not really, I've received one letter in response

[@stephenwhinnie1572]

The invitations having to be from the wife and the replies going to the wife when it comes to parties lived on for a long time. I have a copy of the 1950's Betty Crocker etiquette/party planning book and it addresses this. The invitations should also only be addressed to a man IF he was not married otherwise it went from a wife to a wife.

[@ohmbhatt257]

.. so this is how I’m spending my 4 am today.. nice

[@monochromeboy]

Same

[@michael7324]

Thank you KZbin algorithms for sending this to me.

[@chrislebanon]

I like her accent. It's like a mix of posh: 'Latter writing attiquate' and real towny cornish: 'thick en hoih quolitey' 'with loined poiper.' Oi oi!

[@hori166]

Maybe someone has already suggested this, but if you tilt your writing pad instead of having it vertical, you will write in a straight line rather in the left to right ascending, which, sorry to say, looks awful for a video that is supposed to be illustrating writing. You're probably doing it this way to film it, but you could always tilt the pad back vertical when you're done.

[@goatsandroses4258]

How funny! As a former archivist here in the US, I've read a lot of 19th century letters. What strikes me most about them is that many people couldn't spell (at least according to our standards), and didn't always use punctuation. What's most touching about these letters, though, is how sometimes you can be almost drawn into the peoples' lives. There was one group of correspondence between a husband and wife during wartime about their sick baby. All of us in the archives loved hearing the letters, and we honestly had an emotional reaction when it was announced "Oh, no! The baby died!" It really connects you to someone who lived maybe a century or longer ago.

[@Orlandofurioso95]

I expect the spelling difficulties and lack of punctuation are because writing was actually much rarer, compared to nowadays. Now, most of our communication is done in writing - KZbin comments, emails, reading news or websites, texting... We have much more practice in trying to convey tone and intent, and use punctuation to that effect. A less practiced writer might write as they hear themselves speak, so as a stream of consciousness.

[@mubirshu]

"Mr. Jeremy Fisher"... A fan of Salad Fingers, I presume?