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I am never happier than when exploring an old house, reading a museum label, or opening a box
of documents. I love history and always have some research project or historical
interest to captivate me.
Michelson's Shoes
I have shopped at this Lexington, Massachusetts family shoe store for twenty years. Amazed to discover that it had recently celebrated its centennial, I wanted to learn more about the shop’s past. Visit my blog to see where my curiosity took me…
As part of my research, I offered to organize the store’s small collection of archival materials, those records and objects created by the store or connected to its activities.
Here is a sampling of items from Michelson’s Shoes Records, a collection that spans the years 1890 to the present day.
Out of gallery
Penmanship
Handwritten documents and letters have always captivated me—like nothing else, these artifacts bring the past to life. (I even appreciate a modern-day grocery list!)
When I worked at the Nantucket Historical Association, some of my favorite items were eighteenth-century penmanship copybooks. These were books in which boys and girls under the supervision of a teacher or writing master practiced their penmanship, or handwriting, by copying the alphabet and a variety of instructional maxims. Fluid strokes and flourishes, and the occasional blot and doodle, evoke a time in which “a fine hand” was valued.
As I turned the books' pages, I could imagine young ladies and gentlemen laboring with their quill pens. Given that there are few documents produced by young people in the late 1700s, these copybooks are a window into their world.
Studying penmanship copybooks in several Boston-area repositories has been fascinating--and fun. I hope to have images of select pages up early in 2026.
Calling archivists and librarians … please let me know of any eighteenth-century penmanship copybooks in your collections.
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