Each month, "History Matters" digs into the Delaware Historical Society's archives to explore connections between key people, places, and events in history and present-day news.
Delaware Public Media examines the Delaware Historical Society's collection of 250 Civil War era envelopes and stationery.
History Matters: Envelopes and stationery provide unique Civil War perspective
(Producer/Videographer/Editor: Ben Szmidt)
As America commemorates the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, we look at the Delaware Historical Society's collection of wartime envelopes and stationery. Long before soldiers could text and phone their families back home, boys in blue and gray put their thoughts and feelings into letters, some decorated with elaborate and, at times, politically incendiary artwork and cartoons. The now-valuable collection of some 250 artifacts provides a unique perspective on the war and on political communication then and now.
