Smell is our most primitive sense.
You have experienced its connection with memory when the scent of pine or cinnamon takes you back to a childhood Christmas or a particular perfume reminds you of your grandmother. There was a time when letter writers used the power of scent to make their correspondence even more compelling.
Why not do this again?
The Victorian era of the late 19th century and the Edwardian period of British history (which spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910) were periods of time in which writing notes and letters was a highly popular means of communication. Besides the traditional notes we send today—including thank you notes and sympathy notes— notes might be sent hours before an intended visit or to convey an invitation to dinner or tea. Notes were often sent as an introduction in hopes of a meeting.
I read a novel recently that reminded me of a letter-writing touch that was popular with women, especially when writing to their lovers: perfuming their stationery. When the recipient opened his note or letter, he was pulled immediately close to his loved one with the scent of her favorite perfume.
Allergies keep me from wearing perfume, but I love the idea of perfuming my stationery with a scent that would be immediately recognizable by the recipient and remind them of me.
Here is a delightfully simple video about how to perfume notecards “Using an Edwardian Method.”
It calls for spraying perfume or cologne onto blotting paper (available on Amazon), but I imagine you could use the same technique with a dab of essential oil or other fragrance.
Let me know if you decide to try this on any of your more intimate correspondence and what you think. It seems so much more romantic than just using “scratch ‘n sniff” stickers.
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Lovely idea, I’m wondering if one might used essential oils, perhaps lavender, for a subtle fragrance. Another nice post, Elizabeth.
I love the idea of lavender oil. So many people have allergies to strong scents that a light essential oil might be just the thing. I dab it on my wrist to help me sleep at night.