The Smell of Ink, Fine Paper, Time.

Hand-written letters belonged, in essence, to the realm of art.

Whether someone carefully thought out a text or simply let the words tumble onto the page, the content was expected to cut a fine figure — visually first, then in substance. Make a mistake, and you started over. That was simply part of it — as natural as the inkwell. Spelling errors were taboo — a small, inky catastrophe, to be atoned for with a fresh s…