Following my Brick Wall series, I continued my research into the Gilderson Archive as part of my final major university project. My main interest being the friendships between a woman whom I had only seen in photographs and heard stories of from her distant relatives, who had only got to know her throughout the later years of her life, and the authors of these letters whom will always be strangers to me and anyone who reads them. 

 

Using the envelopes from Frances’ collection of letters received from various senders over her lifetime, we start to envision the relationships between the senders and Frances herself. The quantity of envelopes to the dates the letters were sent, show how often the two individuals were in contact and possibly the extent of the relationships. The beauty of handwritten letters not only shows the quantity of communication but also the effort that has formed these various friendships.