Vintage Guru Reveals Her Glamour Secrets
V
intage can be intimidating. It's certainly not as simple as going to the mall, finding your size, and buying a mass-produced outfit. You have to dig through racks and racks of wildly diverse items, with mysterious sizing, looking for…
The Killer Mobile Device for Victorian Women
Adrift in a sea of digital apps for every imaginable function, we often feel our needs are met better today than in any previous era. But consider the chatelaine, a device popularized in the 18th century that attached to the waist of a wo…
Gloriously Grotesque 19th-Century Pipes
The meerschaum pipes carved in Eastern Europe at the end of the 19th century are among the most bizarre and improbable concoctions in decorative art. Some feature …
The Beautiful Chaos of Improvisational Quilts
What would jazz look like if it had a physical presence? According to Sherry Ann Byrd, a celebrated quilt maker who posts on Show & Tell, it might look something like the hand-made "M-provisational" q…
Our Dad, the Water Witch of Wyoming
“And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of …
This 1959 Goggomobil Is Insanely Cute and Gets 55 MPG. Why Can’t Detroit Do That?
The last time we spoke to Justin Pinchot, he took us on a guided tour of his collection of toy robots. Recently, J…
California Cool: How the Wetsuit Became the Surfer's Second Skin
When Bob Meistrell started surfing in Northern California during the early 1950s, 20 minutes was about all he could stand in the frigid coastal waters. Despite the constant rush of …
The Unfiltered History of Rolling Papers, Plus Tommy Chong's Big Fat Jamaican Vacation
It’s kind of ironic that Tommy Chong, the smokiest half of Cheech and Chong, i…
World's Smallest Museum Finds the Wonder in Everyday Objects
Tucked away in a lower Manhattan back alley, the freight-elevator-sized, generically named Museum is one of New York City's newest curiosities.…
Fightin’ Femmes: Unmasking Female Superheroes with Author Mike Madrid
When I was growing up in the ’60s and ’70s, reading comics wasn't as popular as it had been in the ’40s or ’50s. But my older sister had comics, including a big collection of “Betty and Veronica.” Our parents encouraged us to read everything, so at 6 years old…
Pa Sharp's "Laptop" w/Eagle Pencil and R. Esterbrook nubs | Office Antiques210 of 702 |  |  |
Create a Show & TellReport as inappropriate
Posted 12 months ago
Aliobaba
(11 items)
I am fortunate to have hundreds of letters written and received by my great grandfather, who died in 1942. I believe this is the "laptop" in which he kept paper, writing instruments and various other little tidbits. The box' hinges are broken, but I'm thinking this could be easily restored if I had a clue what I was doing. I love all this cool old stuff. Now if I could only decipher some of these letters.
Help us close this case. Add your knowledge below.
Create an account or login in order to post a comment.
Fountain PensAfter centuries of writing with quills dipped in ink, people in the 1800s b…
DesksThere's an endless variety of antique and vintage desks, often made from st…
What a wonderful treasure!
Another treasure . Please don't do any restoring it should be left in original state . It is just fantastic as it is !
Looks like there is a name on your fountain pen what does it say ?
Wonderful ensemble, and love the puppy! Are your great grandfather's letters in a foreign language, or is it just the script that you can't read? If it's just the script, try googling 'how to read Victorian script' (or 'hand'). There are quite a few guides on the internet. If you just start with a goal of learning three symbols, letters or abbreviations a day, in no time you'll have advanced quite a bit. Lots of people who are serious about their ancestry have learned to read these old forms, and you can too. miKKo
Thanks MiKKo...I never even thought to try that. The letters are all in English, but the penmanship is very flowery and often starting to fade. Im gonna look it up though and see if that can get me back on track. A magnifying glass probably wouldn't hurt either :)
You're so welcome!!!