I want to quote a real letter in my historical novel.
The letter was written in 1815, and the writer died in 1870.
The letter is held in the archives of a state historical society. However, I did not find it there.
It was quoted in a 2009 biography.
So is the letter in the public domain because it was written in the 1800s?
Or is it copyrighted because it was quoted in a 2009 work and thus qualifies as another person's research? (NOTE: The author of that biography does not list having acquired copyright permission for using that quotation.)
The letter was written in 1815, and the writer died in 1870.
The letter is held in the archives of a state historical society. However, I did not find it there.
It was quoted in a 2009 biography.
So is the letter in the public domain because it was written in the 1800s?
Or is it copyrighted because it was quoted in a 2009 work and thus qualifies as another person's research? (NOTE: The author of that biography does not list having acquired copyright permission for using that quotation.)