Once upon a time, long ago, people wrote letters to each other. And prince and pauper alike took pride in their penmanship. Nigel Benson looks back on a different post code.
The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there," British novelist L. P. Hartley wrote in 1953.
He could have been writing about the latest exhibition at Dunedin City Library, which exposes the private thoughts of Britain's blue bloods.
"Our Will and Pleasure: Royal Autographs, Letters and Memorabilia of the British Monarchy" features more than 20 original letters and documents written or signed by kings and queens of Great Britain.
The letters and documents are part of a collection of more than 5000 pieces, which were assembled by Dunedin philanthropist Alfred Reed in the 1920s and 1930s.
Many were obtained through commissioned agents in London, who bought up auction lots on Reed's behalf and shipped them to New Zealand.
The Reed Autograph, Letters and Manuscripts Collection is now a jewel in the crown of the Dunedin Library collection.
"It's a very rich collection. This is the first exhibition where items from the Reed Autograph Letters and Manuscripts Collection have taken centre stage," rare books librarian Anthony Tedeschi said.
"We wanted to highlight the collection and it is also timed to coincide with the wider events celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II this year."
The exhibition includes a 1704 document signed by Queen Anne, an 1842 letter from Queen Victoria to the Sheriff of Shropshire demanding a royal pardon for a prisoner and the signatures of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, when they visited the Dunedin Public Library in 1954.
"New Zealand still has strong ties to England and I think a lot of people are still fascinated by the monarchy," Mr Tedeschi said.
"The marriage of William and Kate might lead to a new resurgence in interest by younger people.
"I expect it will be a very popular exhibition."
Some of the items are accompanied by cartes de visite and printed ephemera.
There is a letter written in German by George Ludwig, three years before he ascended the English throne as George I and a 1610 Bible owned by Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales.
"The letters are fascinating, because, even if it's not something monumental, and might seem inconsequential, in context it can mean much, much more," Mr Tedeschi said.
A letter about the christening of Edward Albert describes the future king as "a fine, fat baby, but not pretty".
The exquisite copperplate handwriting in the letters references a time when presentation was as important as the message.
"We had a group of school children in recently and one girl asked what a telegram was. I said it was a text message of the day."
Three of the display cases are dedicated to royal tours of New Zealand, from the 1901 visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York, to the 1980 visit by the Duke and Duchess of Kent.
There is also a rich tapestryof supporting material, including letters and documents by six British prime ministers, from Sir Robert Walpole to W. E. Gladstone.
See it
''Our Will and Pleasure: Royal Autographs, Letters and Memorabilia of the British Monarchy" is on in the Reed Gallery, Heritage Collections, in the Dunedin City Library until August 19. The collection can also be viewed online at dunedinlibraries.govt.nz/ourwill
