Wooden school desks have long been a favorite place to carve one’s initials or secret messages, showing the next generation of students that “I was here.”
Instead of dropping a text or leaving a voicemail,
people in the 19th century often left a card after a
social visit, to express condolences, or to convey
thanks. These cards were literally a way to say:
“I was here.” If the recipient was not…