Cross-writing involved filling a page with ink in the usual direction, then turning the sheet 90 degrees and continuing to write over the existing text, between the lines. This method allowed for more content without adding extra pages, a practice driven by the cost of paper and postal services in the early 20th century.
The letter, preserved in the Canary Islands and America Documentation Center (CEDOCAM) within the Estévanez Collection, exemplifies the communication of the era. Patricio Estévanez, founder of Diario de Tenerife and president of the Journalists' Association, maintained an extensive network of cultural, political, and personal contacts.
This practice, particularly common in the 19th century, declined as economic and postal conditions changed. The 1904 letter represents one of the final moments of this epistolary tradition, adding historical and human value to correspondence.
Reading and transcribing these letters requires significant effort, akin to separating two simultaneous conversations. High-resolution digitization and selective reading are necessary, but the complexity of transcription adds to their appeal, reflecting the sender's material decisions and their desire to communicate maximally.
The letters from the Estévanez Collection offer insight into the cultural, political, and human life of the Canary Islands from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries. A cross-written letter, in particular, invites us to imagine the sender calculating space and turning a single sheet into an exercise of superimposed writing, a reflection of an era where correspondence was valued for its density, not just its speed.
