Two Vintage Letters with Envelopes, amazing handwriting, digital hi-resolution scans (CameraObscura CD no. 2)

Letter and envelope #1:






Letter and envelope #2:





This CD contains hi-resolution scans of two vintage letters and their accompanying envelopes. Both are to the same gentleman, but 15 years apart. Both are in beautiful fountain-pen handwriting, and could be used in a multitude of ways as textured elements or backgrounds for collage and mixed-media artwork.

1) A letter written 12 May 1907, to “Nephew.” The author (Uncle?) had just returned from Shanghai. While the letter was sent from the United States (from and to San Francisco), it is written on stationery from the Central Hotel, Shanghai. The paper is quite thin, somewhat transparent, and has an excellent red-orange letterhead. The letter is one sheet, but 4 pages total; it opens like a book and so pages 2 and 3 are written on the inside, while page 1 is the front and page 4 the back. (Approximately 5 x 8.5 inches vertical [closed], 10 x 8.5 inches horizontal [open].)

The accompanying envelope is a faded olive green, and says “Palace Hotel, Shanghai” on the back. Cancellation: 7 June 1907, San Francisco. (Approximately 3 x 6 inches horizontal.)

2) A letter written 26 June 1922, to “Dearest.” The author is writing while on a train (“…many people in the car – no one interesting.”). One sheet, written on front and back. (5 x 8 inches vertical.)

The accompanying envelope has a “Southern Pacific Lines” logo on the back. Cancellation: 1922, San Francisco. (3.5 x 5.5 inches horizontal.)


[the specifics]
Camera Obscura's goal is to supply high-quality reproductions of vintage ephemera for artists to use in their own mixed-media, collage, assemblage, and altered-photo artwork. These scans are of original pieces from my collection.

- The scans are at 300dpi (press-quality), full-color RGB mode, each at the dimensions of the original plus a half-inch white border.
- Separate scans of the front and back of each envelope, and each page of each letter, so 9 scans total
- Each scan is supplied in TIFF and JPEG format, so the CD contains 18 files in all.

Need just one scan, or need it right away? Letters and envelopes are also available as JPEG files for download (instead of shipped on CD) in my Etsy Shop.

Buy this CD at the Camera Obscura Etsy shop.