Nineteenth century letters - condition and access?

[keerawa]

In a story I'm working on, there is a collection of letters written in the 1830's that the narrator is granted access to at a historical society.

So - is this plausible? What kind of condition would these documents be in? Would they need to be in a sealed, special room? Would you need gloves? Any details you can give me would be much

Comments

[wishfulaces]

It will depend on the collection, the historical society granting access, and, yes, the condition the collection is in. 1830s paper is generally sturdier and longer-lasting than paper made after the 1850s (higher cotton content), so if the letters were preserved in good conditions, the letters should be in fairly good condition. Ink may have eaten through the paper in spots, folds may be weaker, etc., but otherwise good condition.

Is the collection of letters from somebody hugely significant from the period, like Henry Clay? (I'm assuming you're talking about an American institution, not Canadian, British, or elsewhere in the world.) If so, the researcher may not be granted access to the originals, only to photocopies or microfilmed versions.

Generally, historical societies/special collections/archives have reference or reading rooms in which researchers sit and work with collections, under the gaze of an archivist/curator/other staff member. Gloves probably would not be required for paper documents, but again, that may depend on the institution. The individual will only be allowed to use pencil when working with the collection--NO PEN--and may or may not be allowed to bring in a laptop and digital camera. The individual may not be allowed to make photocopies from the originals him or herself, but could ask reference staff to do it.

I'd suggest looking at a few state historical societies/special collections/university archives websites to see their policies and procedures for gaining access to collections--you'll have room to maneuver, but some things like I mentioned above are pretty standard.

Hope this helps!