Family Justice

Chiena’s Letter to the Reparations Attorney

In this handwritten letter dated July 12, 1956, Chiena attempts to explain to her attorney why she cannot find any eyewitnesses to her son’s murder by the Nazis in July 1941. The German government had requested such an eyewitness statement in the course of evaluating Chiena's claim for reparations for his death.

reflection

Notice how the handwriting changes early in the second paragraph. The script becomes cursive and much larger, while the words begin crossing over the lines on the page. Why do you think this happened to Chiena’s handwriting?