November. To my Brother, Dear R, I am about to write you a Long Letter, I am sorry that day has not come, (which is
sure to come,) when one can sit down to a household telegraphic instrument and click a letter as quickly as I can sew a tuck on
This "letter" was written by Virginia L. Gray from Little Rock, Arkansas, to her brother Raymond C. Davis of Cushing, Maine. It was written over period of two years, from November 1872 to August 1874. Evidence suggests that the serial letter was not mailed sequentially, but kept together and mailed as one. This collection contests of three bound volumes in gilt-edged brown crushed morocco.
Physical Description
Letter, three volumes
Subjects
Women; Correspondence;
Staff Comments
In the first part of Mrs. Gray’s letter, she talks about a form of communication that was 89 years away from creation. She describes a method of letter writing that was developed in 1961 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) called Compatible Time-Sharing System (CTSS) or, as we call it today, E-mail. She writes, “I am about to write you a Long Letter, I am sorry that day has not come, (which is sure to come,) when one can sit down to a household telegraphic instrument and click a letter as quickly as I can sew a tuck on my sewing machine….” Mrs. Gray’s foresight about the advancement of technology astounded me when I first read it. She writes about the future with such optimism and joy, which is why I picked this particular passage. -Crystal Shurley
Geographical Area
Little Rock, Pulaski County. (Ark.); Cushing, Maine
Language
English
Local Identifier
Virginia Gray Letter, MS.000113
Digital Resource
Document
Digital Collection
Tales from the Vault - Celebrating 110 Years
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Preferred Citation
Virginia Gray Letter, MS.000113, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas
Rights and Usage
Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
November. To my Brother, Dear R, I am about to write you a Long Letter, I am sorry that day has not come, (which is
sure to come,) when one can sit down to a household telegraphic instrument and click a letter as quickly as I can sew a tuck on
