The Art of Cards and Letters

July 30, 1993 - May 6, 2011
Three Wonderful Letters From Home, Words by Joe Goodwin and Ballard MacDonald, Music by James F. Hanley cover with drawing of a girl, a young woman, and an elderly woman writing letters

The Art of Cards and Letters spotlights the important, personal, role mail has held as a medium for personal communications. As Samuel Johnson once said, "in a man's letters his soul lies naked." The emotional outpouring of love letters, the topical debates between friends and family, the simple "I miss you" are letters we recognize, as sender or recipient.

Although this exhibit is no longer on display in the Museum, selected portions of the exhibit are still available online. Click on the topic titles below to learn more about them.

National Letter Writing Week poster

Letters bind separated families and friends together in special and remarkable ways.

an addressed V-Mail envelope

"Mail Call" For decades, that precious announcement has lifted the spirits of millions of military personnel.

R. Parks Envelope Mach. Patent diagram

Follow the progression of envelope manufacturing in America through the 19th century.