Buzz
Age, decay, and water damage are just some of the factors that can cause historians to lack access to once easily accessible information. In some cases, it’s a matter of missing pages. In others, hidden text is right before their eyes, but still unseen.
Take for instance a letter Alexander Hamilton wrote to his future wife, Elizabeth Schuyler, on September 6, 1780. At first glance, it appeared to be a mere rant about a Revolutionary War skirmish in Camden, South Carolina. But scholars were intrigued by the 14 crossed-out lines in the first paragraph. If these could be read, they might offer new insights into the life of one of America's most well-known Founding Fathers.
By using multispectral imaging—also known as hyperspectral imaging—experts at the Library of Congress were able to reveal what had been erased. This technique bounces various light wavelengths off the paper, exposing or concealing different ink pigments. When a document is analyzed with these wavelengths, researchers can uncover faded or obscured writing that would otherwise remain invisible.
Hyperspectral imaging of Hamilton's writing, from being hidden (top) to revealed and distinct (bottom). | Library of CongressThe uncovered text showed a more heartfelt and romantic side of Hamilton, as he had used those lines to court Elizabeth. Technicians were able to read most of his words, though some parts remained hidden and had to be inferred:
Do you know how I feel when I see your sweet handwriting? Yes, you do, comparing [it] to your [own], for my Betsey [loves] me and knows all the joys of affection. [Would] you [trade] them, my dear, for any other worthy blessings? Is there anything you would put in competition[,] with one passionate [kiss] of [unreadable], imagining the pleasures we [unreadable] in the free exchanges of wedded love, and may your heart join mine in [fervent] [wishes] to heaven that [all obstacles] and [interruptions] may [be] swiftly [removed].
Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler wed on December 14, 1780. So why would Hamilton try to conceal such affectionate words during or after their courtship? Likely, he didn’t. Historians believe that his son, John Church Hamilton, erased them before publishing the letter in a book of his father's letters. He may have thought the passage was a bit too sensual for a wide audience.
