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Meticulous, cursive penmanship, diction well within the social guidelines of propriety, and decoration including monograms and even a spay of perfume on letters from women were common characteristics of the Victorian technique of writing letters.  

Victorian Letters 

In nineteenth century England, your signature was the trademark of your identity. People spent much time developing aesthetic signatures. In this day and age, we usually just scribble something that looks like a word down. My signature is not even legible.  

From a gentleman to a Lady confessing a change of sentiment:
 

Miss Rachel,--Your note has opened my eyes to the folly and wrong of the course I have pursued of late. All night I have been pacing my floor, trying to decide what course it was my duty to pursue, and I have decided to answer you as frankly as you desire.
I will not attempt to excuse myself, for I deserve your anger, but I will only say that I was myself deceived in my own feelings. When I asked you to marry me, I believed that we were congenial, and that I could make you happy. I was not rich, but had sufficient, as I thought, for comfort, and thinking you would be content with a moderate competency, I invited you to share mine. Closer intimacy has proved my error. Your extravagant wishes are utterly beyond my means, and your bitter and sarcastic remarks upon those of your friends who are not wealthy prove that you covet a life of luxury.
Again, for you ask for frankness, you have so often pained me by your uneven and sullen temper, that I foresee a life of misery for both after marriage.
I know that honor binds me to you, and therefore will not ask for my release if you do not desire it, but will, if we marry, endeavor faithfully to make you demand the reasons for my coldness, I have given them.

 

Leaving our engagement entirely in your hands, I am,

Ever your friend,

Henry Hendricks.​



                                                     (Frost 1867 - p. 126)

An example of a Victorian Letter:

As we can see here, the formal style of the Victorian era was founded upon the principles laid out on ars dictaminis (flattery, request, etc) and was a big stepping stone towards our modern style. 

One notable thing about Victorian letters is their lack of emotional expression. Men were encouraged not to make too many compliments to their loves as not to sound incincere. Also, it was seen as a loss of face for someone to speak in certain "undignified" terms. Note the complexity of description of simple concepts which we today might sum up in just a couple words.  

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