Fan mail. If you’re a reasonably well adjusted person, chances are you’ve sent gushing missives to at least one person or other sometime in your life – possibly in your dreamy eyed youth. Last year, Typographer/Queen of the Ornate Marian Bantjes somehow acquired more than 400 pieces of fan mail…sent to actor Robert Wagner (or Mr. Natalie Wood, if you prefer) in 1957.
This Valentine’s day, Bantjes took the various pieces and added her own unique stamp to them.
“Each envelope seemed to be its own piece of art. The handwriting, the placement and layout of address, stamp and cancellation stamp varied widely from envelope to envelope. To this I added my own stamp that said “Timeless Love” – sometimes to the front of the envelope and sometimes to the back, depending on how it would interact or interfere with the original design. And then I sent them back around the world for Valentine’s Day. The majority of them came from Argentina, but there were occasions I could send some back to their country of origin.”
As she concludes:
“I wonder about the people who wrote these letters. If they’re still alive, do they still care about Robert Wagner? Given that I still have a weak spot for the actors I once loved, my guess is yes.”
