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Postcard Collection. RC 199, Box 10 Rolling ink blotter, Courtesy of Cindy Ditzler
Quill pen and ink, Courtesy of Katie Sutrina
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Postcard Collection. RC 199, Boxes 2 & 8 Unlike the traditional letter, postcards provide another dimension to communication with a loved one. Because of their limited space, messages must be brief and to the point. An outside reader is able to gain little understanding of the author because of the succinct text, which makes the message seem quite mundane or humorous without more context.
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Audio Visual Collection. UA 11 Hat
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DeKalb AgResearch Records, RC 190, Box 154, Folder 2 Even a Midwest native might not instinctively relate corn with the well-wishings of “Seasons Greetings,” but this card, handmade by geneticist George Beadle for Basil Tsotsis of DeKalb AgResearch, Inc. signifies the importance of this niche interest within these men’s daily lives.
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Dr. Giles Paddock Ransom Family Collection, RC 275, Box 16, Folder 6 Sylvia Nielsen, a Rochester University student, writes a letter to her parents in Rockford. Like a typical college student, her letters update her family of the different exams she is concerned about, when and how she will next be coming home, and the new job she acquired, “at 76¢ per hour!!”
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Shimer College Collection. RC 77, Box 16 Women in art class, Mt. Carroll Seminary
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Shimer College Collection. RC 77, Box 3, Folder 5 A 1865 Shimer College student writes to her sister from Mount Carroll about life at the seminary. She is quick to note the strictness of the school, explaining that she was not allowed to go visit a male friend. She also discusses her roommates, the types of food served, and news from home that had been passed along to her.
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Audio Visual Collection. UA 11, Subseries B: Embree Artifacts, Box 2 Toy Train
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Faculty Papers, UA 5, Jack Bennett, Box 8, Folder 7 Five-year-old Scott Bennett, son of NIU Biological Sciences Professor Jack Bennett, writes to his father to tell him the exciting parts of his travels. Although a child’s letter may seem overly simplistic, it shows that even basic reiterations of experiences like a “big train . . . go bounce-bounce” can be viewed as important from the author’s perspective.
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Dr. Giles Paddock Ransom Family Collection. RC 275, Box 15, Folder 3 Arthur Nielsen, engineer for Woodard Governor Company (Rockford, IL) was called to aid in installation of six hydroelectric actuators for the Hoover (Boulder) Dam. The project took over nine months, a much greater time period than anticipated. Although he seems to enjoy the work, he is anxious to be home again and continually expresses this in his letters with great tenderness toward his wife. In this particular letter, Nielsen pridefully also describes a picnic that he cooked for, providing his family with details of his daily life while separated from them.
