I think some of the most interesting graffiti I have seen is in the choir
loft of Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, VA.  Are the initials "TJ"
carved into the bench in the loft worth preserving as history?  I believe so
since they have been authenticated as Thomas Jefferson's from when he was a
student at William & Mary.
----- Original Message -----
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Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2001 4:28 PM
Subject: Re: Strange (RR?) inscriptions on Park Avenue, NYC ....


> I'd like to reply to Christopher Gray on a completely different note than
my
> previous post:
>
> Why not graffitti?  Combining initials and address information is a
> time-honored graffitti form.  Would no. 11 refer to a nearby address?  In
the
> subway graffitti of my youth "Taki116" combined a name and street.
>
> My favorite graffitti in NY is the inscriptions written by 19th century
> soldiers in the temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum.   Just
initials
> and dates there, but they remind us that we aren't the first to be awed by
> this building.
>
> I guess material culture of past centuries can be comforting after all.