Spies, Espionage, And Secret Writing In 1770's - Historical Writing Series Part 5

A special thanks to Brian Allison for sharing the expertise with us!

Instagram ➧ townsends_official

[EarlyMusicDiva]

Mrs Crocombe sits down to read Jon's letter over a steaming cup of high-tannin tea, and, before her astonished eyes, a secret nutmeg recipe appears between the lines...

[jcortese]

This dude REALLY needs to be invited to give a talk t the International Spy Museum!! Historical tradecraft would be a fascinating lecture!

[angrychileh]

This writing man is such a gentleman, I never want to see him in current time clothes

[cecilyerker]

Brian is probably my favorite recurring guest on this channel, and also the best dressed by a mile. I'm kinda digging this atmospheric lighting choice.

[scarletletter]

The secret ingredient in the sympathetic stain is...






Nutmeg!

[thschnick]

I just rewatched all of the videos on letters, quills, ink, etc the other day. Nice to see Mr. Allison back for another video.

[chris]

Brian may be on to something about the sympathetic stain. I found a chemistry book from 1863 that has some interesting information about tannic acid as well as other acids that have the same precipitation reaction with iron sulfate. The book is available freely on google books and is called “A manual of elementary chemistry, theoretical and practical”. The information about vegetable acids starts on page 576. My chemistry knowledge is limited to high school and some college chemistry so it’s a stretch to say I fully understand it. But, I thought it might be worth checking out.

[southernwanderer]

Brian Allison is one of my favorite guests. He's full of knowledge.

[psychedianic]

I'm in love with fountain pens, handwriting, all writing-related things. Mr. Allison's presentations make my day. Advising people to think for themselves....outstanding advice! 😘💗

[cindymaag]

"Do not take anyone's word for it" - Wisdom and brilliance! I love Brian's realism and practicality.

[rebeccahaggerty]

Brian was a delight to watch and listen to. Very handsome and clearly passionate. I always love to hear people speak about something they are excited about. What a treat!

[robh.]

I could sit and listen to Brian for hours. Absolutely brilliant, getting him on the show, and sharing his knowledge with us all.

[Nahrku]

"Never believe anything that somebody tells you, look it up yourself. You all have minds, you all have reason - look it up, read it, find out. Don't take my word for it, I might be wrong. (...) Always do your research."
Truly words to live by in history and life in general! I love your videos, it's such a realistic, hands-on approach to history that nonetheless always manages to fascinate me! Keep up the amazing work and have a lovely day!

[ToastAndJellyfish]

So delighted to see Mr. Allison back, sharing his knowledge with us once again! The previous videos on writing materials and methods were absolutely wonderful, and this one is just as engaging and informative. Thank you!

[regalpanda]

I can only image what the child version of myself would say if I went back in time and told him I was enjoying a video about secret writing in 1700s.

[The_Kentuckian]

I kinda want Brian to be my tour guide for all of my future vacations. He's very knowledgeable & genial.

[NikkiMKarLen]

"TURN: Washington's Spies" is absolutely amazing. Season 3 is the best thing ever!

[rockerbaby]

Having Brian Allison as a guest makes for such a fascinating video. It's so wondering seeing someone who is so knowledgeable and clearly passionate about his work. And it doesn't hurt that he's an absoulte dish!

[fepatton]

Nice touch using the shadowy lighting! Brian Allison is my favorite guest on your videos - he inspired me to try making quill pens! Hope you have him back again. :-)

[aprila]

I knew they probably had seen the show turn Washington spies, it was scary how what he said was what happened to me. I started getting interested in this particular time period because of the show. Even though it may have Hollywood things and it is not 100% accurate it sparked the curiosity of how it really happened and so I went and researched things myself. This is how I found the Townsends website and later the channel on YouTube. I truly feel like I have gone on a trip to a museum and I'm standing in front of them, at times I wanted to jump in and add things to the conversation because of how real this Interview is, it felt like I was there. Amazing!!!!