Copier of the privileges of the city of Łańcut
18th century
Castle Museum in Łańcut
The letters are extremely ubiquitous. We use them every day, although sometimes we don't even think about it. They accompany us when we write a text message or e-mail, when we sign a document or when we make a complaint. Without writing skills, we would be completely helpless in the world around us. Over the centuries, this skill was possessed by a few. Interestingly, at various times, writing was associated with the use of various tools. Therefore, I invite you to the story of the written word.
One of the first skills a student acquires is writing. First, they repeat individual letters, later they combine them into words, and finally into sentences. The key is knowledge of the alphabet.
Most European languages are based on the Latin alphabet, that is, the system of 26 letters used in Poland as well – from A to Z. However, the alphabets of individual languages can slightly differ. For example, "ą" is only found in Polish, and "ü" in German.
There are languages that use entirely different letters. Among them are Arabic, Georgian, Russian, or Hebrew. It is precisely the way of learning the latter that we can see in the presented notebook. The Hebrew alphabet consists of 22 characters – only consonants! It doesn't have uppercase and lowercase letters – all are the same size. Interestingly, in Hebrew, we write from right to left.
Today, the ability to write is something obvious to us, but in the past, only a few possessed it. Books were manually copied, and individual pages were decorated. Of course, practice makes perfect, but artistic talent certainly helped in this regard.
Among the most frequently decorated elements was the first letter that started a chapter or paragraph. Such a letter is called an initial. This name comes from the Latin word initium meaning "beginning".
The presented initial "C" is a true work of art. It was created using lithography. This is a type of print, but it has nothing to do with either a printer or a computer. First, a drawing is manually made on a special stone using ink or pencil, and then it is fixed using chemicals. To transfer the image from the stone to a sheet of paper, the drawing needs to be painted with black paint, and then it needs to be stamped – similar to making a seal.
In 17th-century Poland, a person who could read and write could apply for a good job. Where? For example, in the court as a writer, that is, a person who writes reports (more precisely – protocols) from the proceedings.
From the preserved documents, we can find out, for example, what the neighbors were arguing about or who started an argument in the tavern that ended in a fight. The course of what happened in the courtroom, however, was not written down word for word. This allows us to guess that the writer was only taking notes at the time and only later tried to describe the events according to a certain scheme. They had to provide, for example, the date of the hearing, the people involved in the dispute, and the verdict that was rendered.
Such a text had a functional, or practical, character. Its main purpose was to leave a reliable trace after the finished hearing.
Nowadays, the word "writer" is no longer associated with functional texts, e.g., judicial ones, but with beautiful literature. We call all works that have been written with special care for language and have artistic value by this latter name. Currently, most writers use a computer while working. However, in the past, they wrote by hand. We call such a first version of a book, handwritten by the author, a manuscript.
Manuscripts allow us to get to know a particular writer better. Did they often make mistakes and cross out a lot? Did they write carefully – or maybe sloppily? In the presented copy, we see various notes in the margins, e.g., "music as a backdrop". The author – Józef Czechowicz – wrote this text with the idea of it being read on the radio in the form of a radio drama. That's why he noted suggestions on the side about what sounds could accompany the reading at any given moment.
The text was published in printed form after the author's death.
The presented furniture is a secretary desk, which was previously used, among other things, to write a letter. Today, in the era of phones and the Internet, the custom of writing letters has almost disappeared. However, in the past, a letter was the only way to inform loved ones and friends about what's happening with us, or to just gossip and chat at a distance. To understand how important this activity was, it's worth using an example. It is believed that the writer Henryk Sienkiewicz wrote about 15,000 letters in his life!
To create a letter, you first had to unlock the middle part of the secretary desk with a key and unfold it, creating a horizontal desk surface. You put the paper on it, reached for a pen and an inkwell, a container with ink ... and you could start writing.
The name of this piece of furniture – secretary desk – comes from the word "secret". That's because it has many tiny drawers and compartments, some of which can be locked with a key. All this so that the owner of the desk could keep the contents of their letters or documents secret.
The brown wooden box is actually a portable mini-desk. Closed – it is used for writing. For this purpose, a slat was placed near the lower edge, which allows you to support a sheet of paper. This piece of furniture was used when writing by hand with a pen and ink. All the necessary props could be stored inside it. The box, locked with a key, not only prevented the writing tools from getting lost, but also protected privacy.
The old desk is beautifully decorated with scenes related to hunting. Perhaps this was the favorite pastime of its owner, but they could equally well serve to stimulate imagination or simply decorate the room.
At first glance, this set looks like a salt and pepper shaker. However, these elaborately decorated vessels are not related to eating, but to ... writing. But it's an extraordinary kind of writing, from old times – when pens or markers were not yet used, only ink and a quill. Initially, simply sharpened bird feathers, including goose, were used, and a little later they were finished with a nib, a small piece of metal with a sharp end.
Each of the containers we see was essential when writing with a quill. Two of them – those with lids – are inkwells in which ink was stored. You lifted the lid and dipped the pen in the ink. Then you could start writing. To make sure that the written words would not smudge, you used the contents of the last container. Through holes resembling a sieve, you sprinkled tiny sand on the written page, which absorbed the moisture. Only a well-dried document ensured that nothing of the written content would be lost.
The presented machine is almost a hundred years old and was made in Germany – this is confirmed by inscriptions with the company name: Stoewer. Before computers were invented, documents or letters were created on similar machines.
How did such a device work? You screwed a sheet of paper into the cylinder and hit the keys to strike out the next letters and words. The clever machine moved the cylinder with the paper one space with each keypress until the end of the line. Then a bell would signal that you needed to move the cylinder back – and start a new line.
We usually don't wonder why the letters on a typewriter keyboard have a slightly strange – different from the alphabet – layout. In the second row from the top, looking from the left side, are the letters Q, W, E, R, T, Z. It seems like complete chaos. However, the idea was to have the most frequently used letters not located next to each other on the keyboard, as they would jam during typing. And although nothing jams in a computer keyboard, tradition remained tradition – with minor changes, the layout of letters from old machines has been preserved to this day.
Znaleziono 0 obiektów
unknown
18th century
Castle Museum in Łańcut
Podoska, Zofia née Pol
National Museum in Lublin
Podoska, Zofia née Pol
National Museum in Lublin
DISCOVER this TOPIC
National Museum in Szczecin
DISCOVER this PATH
Educational path
0/500
We use cookies to make it easier for you to use our website and for statistical purposes. You can manage cookies by changing the settings of your web browser. More information in the Privacy Policy.
We use cookies to make it easier for you to use our website and for statistical purposes. You can manage cookies by changing the settings of your web browser. More information in the Privacy Policy.
Manage cookies:
This type of cookies is necessary for the website to function. You can change your browser settings to block them, but then the website will not work properly.
WYMAGANE
They are used to measure user engagement and generate statistics about the website to better understand how it is used. If you block this type of cookies, we will not be able to collect information about the use of the website and we will not be able to monitor its performance.