Powder before foldingSourced
A letter could finish with a dusting of powder
Pounce was a fine powder used to dry ink and prepare writing surfaces. Some nineteenth-century pots had a shallow dish on top so excess powder could be returned and reused. Finishing a letter could involve sprinkling, then collecting the surplus.
Before a letter was folded, there was powder to manage.
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Pounce (powder) · Wikimedia contributors
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Reviewed: 2026-10-05