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Researching Love Letters

From 24 January to 12 April 2026, The National Archives is hosting the exhibition 'Love Letters', exploring 500 years of expressions of love. This exhibition captures the voices of paupers and monarchs, reflecting friendships, romance, and more. But why does love appear in government documents?

Love in the government archive

The National Archives is not the most obvious place to look for personal correspondence, including love letters. However, during people’s interactions with the state, items we can read as love letters have been created, captured and stored in our archive. As a result, personal moments can be unexpectedly preserved in collections shaped by government and legal records, offering a unique view into people’s lives.

In this blog, three of our records specialists and one of our dedicated volunteers share the journeys of discovery they have made about specific items featuring in the Love Letters exhibition. They consider both the careful process of, and unexpected discoveries that come from, archival research. They also explore the thrill of uncovering heartfelt emotions from hundreds of years ago.

Click here for the full press release

 

Channel website: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

Original article link: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/researching-love-letters/

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