1928 – Letter from famed graphologist, Louise Rice, analyzing the handwriting of a customer of the Eagle Pencil Company who had taken advantage her service through a marketing partnership
Unbound. This letter from Louise Rice, dated May 7, 1928, was written on colorful Eagle Pencil Company letterhead advertising its “Mikado” brand. In nice shape.
Louise Rice was a famous graphologist, i.e., a person who analyzes handwriting to determine a person's character, personality traits, and psychological state. Her 1925 book, Graphology: The Science of Reading Character in Handwriting, is a highly sought-after reference that breaks down how slant, pressure, size, and word spacing correlate to personality traits. She had columns in many 1920s-1930s newspapers in which she analyzed the handwriting of everyday readers and celebrities.
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Eagle Pencil Company hired Louise as part of an advertising campaign to boost sales. After customers purchased the company’s Mikado pencils, they were entitled to a handwriting analysis. To claim the premium, they were required to cut out the face of the Mikado from the box and mail it along with ten cents and a sample of writing or doodle to Rice in care of the company. Rice promised to read their “talents, virtues, and faults” from the sample, after which he reports would be sent to the requestor. It became an incredibly popular and effective marketing strategy.
In this report, Louise informs Wilfred Webb that
“Yours is the handwriting of a person . . . whose mind works clearly and logically and is careful in making decisions. You should . . . work along scientific or research lines or even statistical work. You could also do . . . literary criticism of some kind.
“You have a fine personality but are not getting all you should out of life because of your reserve. Try to learn more self-confidence and show your real self more to people. One gets what one gives you
know. Also do not let yourself procrastinate.”. Very good. Item #010833(For more information, see contemporary Eagle Pencil newspaper advertisement promoting this service.)
At the time of listing, no similar reports are for sale in the trade. Neither the Rare Book Hub nor ASBA show any record of similar reports having appeared at auction. OCLC shows no similar reports in institutional collections.
A terrific example of a highly popular and effective advertising scheme that is little remembered today.
.Price: $150.00