You might be surprised to learn that for a long time letters were sent without envelopes. Perhaps you’ve noticed this in period movies and TV shows. Someone is told that ‘A letter has come for you!’ and the recipient is handed a folded paper packet sealed with wax, glue, or even tied with string. The packet usually looked more like a kid’s love note than an historic letter that could change the course of history, .
This is what letters looked like until the late19th century. Paper was expensive, and mail services charged by the page, so sending a letter could be a pricey thing. Letter writers economized by using a single sheet of paper, leaving a blank space on the paper for the address and folding the letter with the address to the outside.
This made for some interesting configurations! It’s common to find historic letters where the writing goes in several different directions, trying to make use of every last square inch while still leaving space for the address. Imagine trying to put all those differently sized packets through today’s mail sorting machines!
Which Came First, the Envelope or the Stamp?
The introduction of the penny stamp in Great Britain in 1837 changed everything. Previously the letter recipient was charged per page and according to distance travelled. (If they didn’t have the money, they didn’t get the letter!) Now the sender prepaid the postage by buying a pre-gummed stamp and putting it on the letter. With the ‘Penny Black’ stamp, letters weighing up to 1/2 would be delivered anywhere in Britain.
This also made it less costly for letter writers to either include more pages in their letter OR use an envelope. The invention of the first envelope-folding machine in 1840 made economical mass production of envelopes possible. Envelopes became cheaper and more readily available and more people began using the mail services. These developments induced people to open stationery shops to supply writing materials, and a whole new industry was born!
So first came the stamp, then the practice of mailing letters in envelopes. This in turn affected what letters looked like since letter writers no longer had to worry about leaving space for the address or folding the letter so the address showed. Instead letter pages are folded to fit the envelopes!
