Dear Boss

[Steven Russell]

Thanks, Lynn. I look forward to hearing of any new developments. Pun intended.

Best wishes,
Steve.

[lynn cates]

flash

Hello Steven. Yes, nice pun. I thought it was a flash of brilliance.

Cheers.
LC

[Steven Russell]

Nice. Better stop now before we start getting negative comments.

Best wishes,
Steve.

[lynn cates]

last time

Hello Steven. Agreed. We'd better shutter down now.

Cheers.
LC

[mariab]

I also think you are correct that the faded copy's folds match the envelope. I am curious, however, that those folds were not reproduced on the other copy. Too bad that I am not a photography expert.
However, I do have some photography students in my online classes. Perhaps I can chat them up for advice?

Maybe the second photo was a picture shot of another photo, with the edges missing, so no folds visible?
Lynn, Rob Clack is a photography expert.

[Tom_Wescott]

Hello Steven. Agreed. We'd better shutter down now.

Just be careful when you're throwing in the towel that it doesn't land under an unrelated chalked message, or I'm liable to jump to the wrong conclusion.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Stewart P Evans]

Dear Boss Letter

The original 'Dear Boss' letter has deteriorated rather badly over the years. However, there is an 1888 police colour facsimile of the letter preserved at Kew. This is so good that when they did a display of letters a few years back the facsimile was displayed as the original. The original, however, was displayed at the fairly recent Docklands Museum East End exhibition.

As we all know the original letter was missing for many years and was anonymously returned to New Scotland Yard in 1987. When passed on to the Public Record Office the original letter went to their conservation department for preservation. Unfortunately they used invasive methods of preservation and ended up doing more harm than good, resulting in an accelerated deterioration of the letter. I photographed the original around 2000 when writing Letters From Hell.

In order to see what the letter looked like in 1987, when returned, we have only to look at the black and white photographs of it that were taken at that time. These I reproduce below.

[Stewart P Evans]

Envelope

Below is the original envelope as photographed in 1987. From this and the above photographs it should be fairly obvious that the original sender of the letter had merely folded it in four to place it into the envelope for posting. The actual letter measures seven inches wide by nine inches long.

[mariab]

Thank you so much, Mr. Evans. These are good quality black and white photos. (Apart from the post scriptum, which looks like in a different ink?)

[lynn cates]

conclusion

Hello Tom. Minimalist? (heh-heh)

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

Rob

Hello Maria. Thanks. Perhaps he will pop round to the thread and comment.

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

question

Hello Mr. Evans. Thanks for this.

Can you recall the original, before being photographed? If so, do you recall whether:

1. The left margin were very straight?

2. The left margin shifted left?

3. The left margin shifted right?

Thanks again.

Cheers.
LC

[mariab]

Hello Maria. Thanks. Perhaps he will pop round to the thread and comment.

As a matter of fact, I'm about to email him back.
(Just entered my apartment in Berlin and gotta run to the post office, after a more or less sleepless night.)

Lynn, why are the margins important to you?
In the post scriptum I see a different ink apart from obvious haste in the handwriting, but I'm sleepless and my eyes hurt (only slept on the plane for a couple hours, turbulence and all).

[lynn cates]

identity

Hello Maria. Margin--along with slope and slant--are the best indicators of the writer's identity. They are least likely to be forged for the reasons I articulated in some previous posts.

Get some sleep.

Cheers.
LC

[Stewart P Evans]

Not Quite Sure

Hello Mr. Evans. Thanks for this.
Can you recall the original, before being photographed? If so, do you recall whether:
1. The left margin were very straight?
2. The left margin shifted left?
3. The left margin shifted right?
Thanks again.
Cheers.
LC

I'm not quite sure what you mean. The photographs are of the full letter exactly as it was returned to New Scotland Yard. Ergo the margins are exactly as they were and are in the original letter. What do you mean by 'shifting margins'?