GFF Postal History: October 2022

Sunday, October 30, 2022

Let's Send a Letter to France - Postal History Sunday

Welcome to Postal History Sunday, featured weekly on the Genuine Faux Farm blog and the GFF Postal History blog. If you take this link, you can view every edition of Postal History Sunday, starting with this one (the most recent always shows up at the top).

Several months ago, we explored what it would take to mail a letter from the United States to Switzerland in the 1860s. This time around, I thought it might be fun to look at mail from the United States to France. So, this week is going to be steeped in the postal history part of the story, rather than the surrounding social history.

Either way, you are invited to join me. I'll do my best to make it interesting and entertaining. There is no exam at the end and you can feel free to ask questions or, perhaps, point out things I should correct. Now, let's look at something I enjoy!

France and the United States of America negotiated a postal convention that went into effect in April of 1857 and provided the guidelines for the exchange of mail through the end of 1869. This treaty set the postage rate at 15 cents per 1/4 ounce (7.5 grams) and allowed for carriage of the mail via American, British, Canadian (after amendment to the agreement in 1861), French and German mail packets (steamships).

Trans-Atlantic Routing Choices
The postage collected was actually split between the different postal services based on the parts of the service each country was responsible for covering. The most expensive part of the service was the Atlantic Ocean crossing, so it mattered which country held the contract with the shipping company that carried the mail.

The following is a simplified description of the different trans-Atlantic routes and contracts that mail from the US to France took during this treaty period.

Paid for by the United States (aka American Packet)

The Inman Line from New York to Queenstown, Ireland and Liverpool, England (green)
The German owned steamship lines from New York (red) that would go on to Bremen and Hamburg after dropping off French mail in Southampton near London
The Canadian steamship line (Allen Line) that left either by Quebec or Portland, Maine and went via Derry, Ireland and Liverpool (purple)
The Havre Line that went direct from New York to Le Havre, France (blue)

The French paid the British (aka British Packet)

The Cunard Line alternated from New York and Boston, stopping at Queenstown, Ireland and Liverpool (green)
The Galway Line went from New York to the west coast of Ireland at Galway (green)

Paid for by the French (aka French Packet)

The French line traveled between New York and Brest, France (blue)

Ships that carried French mails but did not visit a French port were off-loaded from their trans-Atlantic packets under the auspices of the British postal system and had to cross the English Channel. Typically, these mails crossed to Calais, though other entry points (such as Havre) were possible.

Postal Rate Breakdown as They Related to Routes

From the perspective of the postal patron, the rate was 15 cents per 1/4 ounce. The shipping line used did not change the cost for mailing the letter. Once again, the route only mattered when it came to figuring out who got how much of the postage. So, the US Post Office cared and so did the French Post. And, since I am a postal historian, I guess I care too! Though you could argue that my reasons might need more justification than the postal clerks of the time did.

Again, you could argue the point. I'm just unlikely to listen.

Since I collect postal history with the 24 cent stamp, it is actually easier for me to study items that were double weight (or higher) letters. So, the next several items will have required 30 cents in postage for a letter weighing more than 1/4 ounce and no more than 1/2 ounce.

Table 1

Properly paid letters were marked with a credit amount in red. This amount indicated how much of the postage was supposed to be sent to the French from the United States.

The credit amounts shown in Table 1 are for double weight mail that has been fully paid to the destination in France. For example, if a letter was sent by a French packet (ship), the US would need to send 24 cents of the 30 cents collected to France.

Remember, with a prepaid letter, the US postal service has collected money for all postal services to be used to get the letter to its destination in France. However, other postal systems were required to get the letter to its destination. That means some of the money collected by the United States was necessary to cover services rendered by these postal systems (the British and French posts). The credit amount is what is due from the United States to France to pay for France's (and England's) portion of the mail services used. If England was due compensation for its services, it was up to the French to provide payment from the funds passed to them by the United States.

United States Packet direct to France

Double rate via Havre

The item shown above is an example of an American shipping line providing the trans-Atlantic carriage services directly to France. The New York and Havre Steam Navigation Company (typically referred to as the "Havre Line" by postal historians) sailed between New York and, not surprisingly, Havre.

The 30 cents postage belonged, for the most part, to the United States because it paid the steam packet line for its services crossing the Atlantic (18 cents). France was credited only 6 cents to cover its own mail services starting in Havre until the letter was delivered in Paris. The remaining 6 cents belonged to the United States for its 'surface mail' from Philadelphia to New York, where it was placed on board the ship (the Mississippi) that would carry this letter across the Atlantic Ocean.

Other than the circular grid cancels that were used to obliterate the stamps so they could not be re-used, there are three postal markings on the front of this envelope that help us understand how this piece of mail traveled and how the postal systems accounted for the postage.

The red "Phila Am Pkt" circular marking shows the date (Friday, April 26) this envelope entered the mailbag to go across the Atlantic Ocean. The red "6" inside of this circular marking represents the amount credited to France for a double weight piece of mail being carried by a packet under contract to the United States for direct service to France.

The red octagonal marking reads "Etats Unis Serv Am Havre" and is dated on May 10, 1867, which represents the date this item was removed from the mailbag and placed into the French mailstream. The French clerk recognized this item as paid because the US exchange office had used red ink for their marking (in Philadelphia). The square marking with the letters "PD" further confirms that the French were treating this piece of mail as fully paid. This "PD" marking was an indication to postal personnel that they did not have to ask the recipient to pay for any of the services rendered.

If this had not been properly prepaid, the marking would have been in black ink and the amount in the circle would have shown "24" cents to represent the uncompensated portion of mail service provided by the United States. There would have been no "PD" marking and the recipient would have been asked to pay for all of the services rendered at the time of delivery.

The one thing that is not obviously referenced by these markings would be the actual sailing that carried this piece of mail across the Atlantic. This is where Dick Winter and Walter Hubbard's (North Atlantic Mail Sailings: 1840-1875) excellent work compiling sailing tables by referencing sailing documentation in contemporary periodicals comes in handy. The Mississippi of the Havre Line left New York on the 27th and arrived in Havre on May 10.

French Packet Direct to France

Double rate via Brest

Compagnie Generale Transatlantique (CGT) was a French packet line that maintained a route between New York and Brest and it held a contract with France to carry mail beginning in mid-1864. The route from Brest to New York was designated by CGT as Ligne H, so the French markings include that label. Since the French were responsible for paying the steamship line, the 18 cents for the trans-Atlantic carriage needed to passed to the French postal service. Instead of 6 cents credited, it was now 24 cents credited to France.

Again, if this is confusing to you, think about where the money is initially. The sender of this letter purchased 30 cents in US postage stamps, giving that money to the US postal system. The expenses incurred for the delivery of each letter could be split into pieces, not all of which were part of the US post. That which was the responsibility of another post needed to be paid for, but the money that was collected in the form of postage needed to be passed to the postal system that incurred the expenses. Hence the red numerical markings indicating a credit (24 cents in this case) to the French system.

Not all mail conventions worried about breaking down postage by letter because, as mail volumes increased it was becoming apparent that accounting by piece of mail was too labor intensive. Some conventions determined breakdowns by weight of the aggregate, acknowledging that most letters averaged a certain weight. It was also becoming apparent to some administrations that mail volumes between countries was balancing out, making some of this accounting a moot point. This convention between France and the United States, however, outlined the breakdown per piece of letter mail (Article VII).

British Packet via Britain

Double rate via Britain and Havre

Things get a bit more complicated when we add a third postal system into the mix. British steamers owned by the Cunard Line (British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company) were under contract with the British postal services, so money had to get to Britain in order to pay for the trans-Atlantic service. Typically, the mail was off-loaded at Queenstown (Cobh, Ireland) and taken by rail to eastern Ireland where it crossed to England via the Holyhead and Kingston Packets OR the mail was taken all the way to Liverpool. The French mail was then taken by rail to London where it was forwarded across the channel from Dover or Southampton. This transit service also incurred costs that went to the British.

Since there was a great deal of mail traffic between France and Britain, the portion of the postage due to Britain was actually passed on to France by the United States. France then used their own arrangements with Britain to settle up for the transit costs via Britain. These costs were approximately 12 cents (for a double weight letter) for the trans-Atlantic service and 4 cents for the transit through England and across the Channel.

The United States still kept 6 cents for it's internal mail transit, which remains consistent throughout each of the options explored here. On the other hand, it is interesting to note that the breakdown of postage seems inconsistent for the French surface mail.

The letter shown above has a small detail that I find interesting. Most mail that transited England on its way to France entered France at Calais. It is uncommon to find an item that traveled via Britain and entered France at another point. In this case, Havre was the entry point, which made sense because that was the letter's destination. But, to do that, the mail was sent via a private ship rather than one contracted specifically to carry the mail.

American Packet via Britain

Double rate via Britain and Calais

United States, Canadian and German steamers were all operating under contract with the US government to carry mail, which means any mail to France carried by these steamers would be given the same rate breakdown. The Liverpool, New York & Philadelphia Steam Ship Company (Inman Line) carried the envelope shown above. The credit amount to France is only 12 cents, allowing the United States 18 cents to pay the 12 cents to the steamship company and six cents for internal surface mail. The French paid the British 4 cents for the transit via their mail system and they kept the remaining eight cents for their own expenses.

The Cunard Line as American Packet beginning 1868

Cunard Line trans-Atlantic crossing in 1868

This next letter serves as is a reminder to me that a seemingly unrelated act can effect change where we don't necessarily expect it. The United States and Britain enacted a new postal convention on January 1, 1868, which reduced the postage rates between the two. Further, the new convention no longer differentiated between British and American contract packets. Instead, the postal service at the point of departure was responsible for the cost of the trans-Atlantic packet. In other words, every ship carrying mail and leaving the American ports was an expense for the United States postal system. The net result for mail to France? Every packet that went via Britain was now an American packet, so the credit became 12 cents for Cunard Line ships as the United States now paid them for their services.

Triple Rate Letter

A letter weighing more than a 1/2 ounce and no more than 3/4 ounce would require 45 cents in postage. Here is an example of a triple rate that was a British Packet via Britain. The credit marking is for 36 cents to France. Look for the red pencil marking that reads "36/3" (36 cents credit to France at a 3 times letter rate).

A triple rate letter to France

If you take a moment to look at this item, it illustrates a couple of interesting things that could help with reading pieces of postal history from the period.

Routing and Shipping Directives
The top left of the letter has hand written text (docketing) that reads "per Cunard Steamer of Wed Dec 5th from Boston." It is not uncommon to find these sorts of directions on mail during the 1860's. These directives could have been written by the sender, by the postmaster at the originating post office, by a forwarding agent acting on behalf of the sender or perhaps by the foreign mail clerk at the exchange office. The purpose of this sort of docket could either be to indicate the preferred route, especially if it differed from the postal services default routing, or it could have the intent of trying to show the recipient when something was sent and how it was intended to arrive.

Names and Addresses Removed
If you look at this item closely, you might notice that the name of the recipient has been crossed out, making it difficult to decipher the actual name. In many instances, pieces of postal history were acquired from correspondents who wished to have contents separated from the covering (an envelope or folded piece of paper). Some went further, attempting to remove any personal information, such as addresses or names in an attempt to maintain privacy.

Full Rate Markings in Addition to Credit Markings
This cover also shows a red "45" at the bottom left. Up to this point, all of the other items only show numbers for the amount to be passed on to France to cover services not rendered by the United States postal system. In the case of this item, the "45" represents the postage required to send the item (45 cents). I am guessing that the marking was applied in Newport, Rhode Island, the post office which postmarked the stamps on December 4.

So, why bother with a "45" marking when there are 45 cents for all to see on the cover? It really seems like extra work, doesn't it? But, if you consider possible scenarios it doesn't seem so odd.

A person walks into the post office with a letter for France. The clerk weights it and informs the sender that it will require 45 cents. The sender pays the clerk and the clerk marks the letter with a "45" and puts it into a pile to be processed later so the clerk can continue to work with other customers.

At a later point in the day, the clerk adds the appropriate postage and postmarks them. This scenario is not so hard to believe since I have witnessed the same procedure in my own experience mailing larger items that require more than a typical amount of postage. The clerk weighs the item out and writes the postage amount on the package. I pay and the clerk completes the process of putting stamps or a meter on the item at some later point in time. Does that mean this is what happened here? Not necessarily. But, it seems a likely explanation for something that looks a bit redundant on this cover.

Short Paid Mail

Insufficiently paid mail treaty as unpaid mail

So, you think treaty mail is confusing now - just think what it must have seemed like to people when there were different postal rates to each country (and often more than one rate to the same country).

We can only speculate why the person who mailed the letter shown above used a single 24 cent stamp. But, since it appears to be a business correspondence it is possible they just confused this with a letter to England. After all, the rate to England was 24 cents per half ounce. But, this letter was to France and it clearly weighed more than 7.5 grams and apparently was less than 15 grams, so the postage required was 30 cents, meaning it was short paid by 6 cents.

A sensible person might feel as if it would only be fair to collect the French equivalent of 6 cents and be done with it. But, that is NOT how it worked at the time with the postal convention in place. Instead, short paid mail was treated as wholly unpaid, which means the recipient had to pay the entire rate for the privilege of receiving the letter. The "16" on the cover represents 16 decimes (1 franc, 60 centimes), which was due on delivery. Now, the French have collected the entire postage, but they need to send some money BACK to the United States to cover the US surface mail expenses. Hence, the 6 in the black New York marking as a debit to France requesting payment.

So, what happens to the 24 cents in postage collected by the United States? In this case, the postal service gets to keep it without any extra services rendered. Does that seem unfair to you? Well, consider these two things:

1. Mail during this period did not have to be prepaid in order for it to be taken to its destination.
2. A recipient could refuse delivery.

This begs the question - how much mail did postal services carry for free because it was sent unpaid and the recipient refused delivery? Still, if this was a legitimate mistake, it does seem a steep price to pay. The good news is that conventions and postal systems were rapidly changing to charge only the deficient amount as postage due so that the postage applied would still pay for at least some of the services rendered.

Five or Six Times Rate

I'll just let you to enjoy this one by simply showing the exhibit page. I might type a bit more after the illustration.

Here's a pretty (and larger) envelope with 90 cents of postage, which would seem to indicate that this was 6 times the 15-cent rate (more that 1 1/4 ounces and no more than 1 1/2 ounces). This letter was carried on a steamship that went direct to Havre on a US contract ship. So, the credit amount, for a six-times rate would be 36 cents. But, we muddy the waters this time with then pen marking that looks a bit like a "30" and not a "36."

It is not hard to think of any number of scenarios that explain the inconsistency - among them the real possibility that this WAS supposed to be a "36." Rather than engage in speculative postal history, I will be content with not knowing for certain what rate this envelope was supposed to be originally. But, I think I have the right of it that France probably treated it as a five times rate and received a credit of 30 cents. I also believe I have the right of it that the sender paid for a six times rate with postage stamps.

You can make up your own story as to how that happened!

Forwarded Mail

An item sent to France and forwarded on to London, England

It isn't easy to see, but the New York exchange marking at the center right of the letter above shows a "12" and this cover provides an extra puzzle because the date in the New York marking is struck poorly. We are left with the most useful clue coming from the red French marking that gives a Dec 8, 1861 date and reads, in part, "Serv Am."

This is enough to tell me that this piece of mail had to travel across the Atlantic on an American contract vessel. The two available options from sailing tables are the Inman's Edinburgh leaving New York on November 23 and a sailing of the Allen Line from Quebec on the same date. Since both ships arrived at Liverpool on the 7th of December, we can assume the Inman sailing simply because the Allan Line sailing for New York mail would be highly unlikely.

This appears to be a letter to A.G. Goodall (Albert Gallatin Goodall: 1826-1887), an engraver by trade, who was to become president of the American Banknote Company (ABC) in 1874, remaining in that office until his death. As early as 1858, Goodall represented the ABC to obtain contracts with foreign entities, so travel was not unfamiliar to him. Goodall was also a prominent freemason who often represented the United States branches as liaison for related fraternal organizations worldwide.

Goodall arranged for mail to be sent to the U.S. Legation in Paris during his travels and clearly, the U.S. Legation in London was also aware of his itinerary. It was not uncommon for a person traveling to arrange with an agent to receive mail. That agent could either hold mail for the client or forward that mail to another location.

In this case, the Legation in Paris sent the item on without paying the postage from France to England. The "More to Pay" marking was applied in London, alerting the recipient and the postal clerk that postage was due (4d per quarter ounce). It is presumed that the item was rated as a double rate letter by the British and 8d were collected. The squiggle at top right *might* be a due marking, though I cannot quite bring myself to conclude that this mark aligns with a due amount. The "P.D." marking was applied in France to indicate that postage from the United States to France had been prepaid, but it did not apply to the forwarding of the mail.

A quick search for A.G. Goodall in 1861 shows a person by that name returning to New York on the Havre Line's Arago on December 26 of 1861 (New York Times, Dec 27, 1861). So, it seems as if the letter may well have caught him in London.

Where did you learn this stuff?

A common question that I am asked is, "how did you learn all of these things?" Well, part of the answer is my good fortune to follow in the footsteps of others who have done research that makes my own efforts easier. I thought it might be good to share some of that here. I also access some of the original postal agreements and conventions of that time which helps to inform me about what I am looking at.

The text of the 1857 postal convention can be found along with amendments at this location on the blog.
Hubbard, W. and Winter, R.F., North Atlantic Mail Sailings: 1840-1875, USPCS, 1988.
Hargest,G.E., History of Letter Post Communication Between the United States and Europe: 1845-1875, 2^nd ed, Quarterman, 1971.
Winter,D, Understanding Trans-Atlantic Mail vols 1 & 2, APS, 2006.
Starnes,C.J, United States Letter Rates to Foreign Destinations: 1847 to GPU-UPU, revised ed., Hartmann, 1989.
Postal Laws and Regulations of the United States of America: 1866, Wierenga reprint, 1981.
List of Post Offices and Postal Laws and Regulations of the United States of America: 1857, Wierenga reprint, 1980.

Thank you for joining me this week. This entry gives you all a taste of some of the depth and detail that a postal historian may find themselves digging into so they can better recognize and understand what they are seeing when they look at a postal artifact. And, if you're thinking "geez, 'artifact' is a hoity-toity word," all you need to know is that I was looking for an opportunity to put that word in a blog just because I wanted to!

Have a fine remainder of your day and a fine week to come.

Sunday, October 23, 2022

For the Good of Others - Postal History Sunday

I got out of the habit of keeping track of how many Postal History Sunday entries I have offered once I reached the 100 blog mark. But, someone asked me how many I was at now and that got me curious. It turns out that this is entry number 114, which is a good, healthy number. And now that we've gotten that bit of trivia out of the way, let's share a little postal history and maybe we can all learn something new today!

This time we're going to start with a folded letter that was mailed in New York on August 28, 1858, to William Rathbone, Jr in Cumloden near Newton Stewart, Scotland. This is one of those times where much of the postal history story can be easily read because the markings are all clear and the hand writing is not difficult to decipher. That is why an example like this one is desirable, we don't have to go cross-eyed trying to read what is there this time around.

The foreign mail clerk at the New York Post Office accepted this letter which bears two black, 12-cent postage stamps to pay for the 24 cents in postage required. The clerk applied a red circular grid marking to deface the stamps and make it hard for someone to try to re-use them. They also put the big circular marking that reads "New York Am Pkt 3" at the top center. Once that was done, they slipped this folded letter into the mailbag that was bound for Liverpool on the trans-Atlantic steamship named the "City of Washington," and it stayed in that mailbag until it got to Liverpool on September 9.

Once it entered the British postal system in Liverpool, it was taken north to the town of Newton Stewart, where a marking on the verso tells us it was received at the local post office on September 10. There are no postmarks that tell us when it was taken to Cumloden, but it was likely on that same day.

Everything lines up nicely. A twelve day transit from the origin to the destination was pretty normal for a letter mailed in 1858. The City of Washington is known to have sailed for the Inman Line, which had a contract with the United States to carry the mail. We also have a docket at the top left identifying that ship AND the New York marking indicates that the ship to carry it was an "American Packet."

And finally, we can locate the recipient, William Rathbone Jr, as having purchased a property at Cumloden, near Newton Stewart, in the Spring of 1858. But, before we talk more about this individual, let's look at some of the surrounding postal history.

Postal Treaty between the US and the British

A postal treaty had been signed in 1849 between the US and the British that set the conditions for the exchange of mail between the two countries. This postal convention was still in effect at the time this letter was mailed in 1858 and it stated that the cost of mailing a simple letter was 24 cents (1 shilling in the United Kingdom). To be a "simple letter," the item could not weigh more than 1/2 ounce. This agreement would remain in force until the end of 1867.

The United Kingdom was the most popular destination for mail that crossed the Atlantic Ocean from the United States, but at the time this letter was mailed there were no 24 cent stamps issued. In fact, the 12-cent stamp was the highest denomination postage stamp issued by the US Post Office. It was not until July of 1860 that a 24-cent postage stamp would be issued in response to the increased demand for letter mail to the United Kingdom.

And this is what a simple letter using that new 24-cent stamp looks like. This one was mailed from New York to London in September of 1860.

This particular design would only be in use for about one year. The event of the Civil War in the United States presented a problem for the US Post Office. To prevent representatives of the seceded states from using stocks of US postage for their benefit, a new design was placed in use in August of 1861.

Shown above is an example of the newly designed 24-cent stamp on a letter mailed in 1862 from Boston to London. If you are not someone who does much with philately (collecting and studying postage stamps), you might have a difficult time seeing the difference. Perhaps the easiest way you can train your eyes is to look for the number "24" at top left and top right on the 1861 issue. One of the requirements placed on these new postage stamp designs was that the value of the postage stamp should be represented by numerals and words, whereas the previous issue only showed words.

This design would be in use until a new 24 cent stamp was put in use in 1869.

Who was William Rathbone, Jr?

Let's bring you back to our original letter that was sent from New York City to Newton Stewart in Scotland. The recipient was one William Rathbone, Jr. (1819 - 1902), the sixth of a line of William Rathbones from a family of Rathbones that were instrumental in the growth of Liverpool as a major trans-Atlantic port of trade.

So, this was a piece of correspondence to a person of some prominence and who had reasonably significant means at his disposal. This should should not surprise us because, first of all, those with significant business interests and/or power were the most likely to be corresponding with individuals outside the country via the postal service in the 1850s. But, even more important, it would be these people who would be most likely to SAVE the envelopes and folded letters for records (and posterity) AND keep them in a excellent condition.

photo circa 1880 - from Wikimedia commons

Rathbone did, in fact, hold a position with the family business until 1885, but he also had a career in British politics from 1868 to 1895. He apparently played a role in the formation of the University of Liverpool and the University College of North Wales. But, this is not what drew my attention for this particular individual. I found the book William Rathbone, a Memoire online and was drawn to his work with the nursing profession.

If you don't want to read all of the quote below from that text, the idea that stood out for me was that Rathbone felt wealth and business success were actually a means to accomplishing public and philanthropic works. He felt it was a moral imperative to use acquired power to aid others.

"In  deciding  how  to  spend  his  income,  he  thought, 
a  young  man  should  consider  not  only  the  immediate 
objects  of  his  expenditure,  but  also  its  effect  on  his 
character.  Saving  and  giving  are  both  habits.  It 
often  happens  that  a  man  of  naturally  generous 
nature  is  obliged  while  he  is  young  to  work  hard 
and  to  be  economical.  He  yields  to  this  necessity, 
hoping  when  he  has  made  a  fortune  to  use  it  for  the 
good  of  others.  But  by  the  time  success  comes 
he  has  allowed  the  saving  habits  of  his  youth  to 
master  him  so  completely  that  he  is  affected  by  a 
sort  of  "  pecuniary  paralysis."  This  very  frequently 
befalls  even  men  who  while  poor  have  been  generous 
in  giving  on  the  modest  scale  suitable  to  their 
means,  so  that  it  is  exceptional  to  find  a  man  who 
has  grown  very  wealthy  without  becoming  less 
generous  as  his  wealth  increased.  It  follows,  then, 
that  a  man  who  would  escape  this  moral  disease 
must  give  something  for  the  sake  of  practice,  even 
out  of  small  means,  and  as  his  income  swells  (and 
this  was  the  point  he  laid  most  stress  on)  he  must 
increase  not  only  the  amount,  but  the  proportion  of 
it  to  be  devoted  to  public  objects." (pages 121-122)

In 1859, an event occurred that provided focus to Rathbones's philanthropic efforts when his wife, Lucretia, passed away after an illness. Since they had means, a nurse had been secured to aid during that illness.

"His  wife  had  been  attended  during  her  last 
illness  by  a  nurse,  Mary  Robinson,  whose  skill  had 
done  much  to  ease  her.  Seeing  how  much  differ- 
ence trained  nursing  could  make,  even  in  a  home 
where  every  comfort  and  appliance  that  affection 
could  suggest  was  provided,  William  Rathbone 
began  to  think  what  illness  must  mean  in  the 
homes  of  the  poor,  where  comforts,  appliances, 
and  skill  were  alike  wanting.  He  resolved  to  try 
an  experiment.  He  asked  Nurse  Robinson  to 
engage  herself  to  him  for  three  months,  to  nurse 
poor  patients  in  their  own  homes  in  a  certain 
district  of  Liverpool.  She  was  provided  with  the 
most  necessary  appliances,  and  arrangements  were 
made  for  supplying  such  nourishment  and  medical 
comforts  as  might  be  required  to  make  her  nursing 
effective.  After  a  month  had  passed,  she  came  to 
her  employer  in  tears,  and  asked  to  be  released 
from  the  rest  of  her  engagement.  The  amount 
of  misery  she  had  to  see  was,  she  said,  more  than 
she  could  bear." (pages 156-157)

To make a long story a bit less long, Rathbone was able to prevail upon nurse Mary Robinson to continue with her efforts. After three more months, she proclaimed that she would not return to her prior nursing position and found that this service was her calling. She had seen the good a trained health care provider could bring for those with less means. People who would have died, lived instead. People who struggled with ill health found healing. Families were better able to cope with difficult situations because they were not also attempting to care for ailing family members.

This was all because skilled nursing, with appropriate supplies and tools, had been provided. This motivated Rathbone to develop a system where skilled nursing could be accessible to people, regardless of income, in their homes throughout the United Kingdom.

Rathbone consulted with Florence Nightingale and then pursued the construction of a training facility in Liverpool for nurses. The school was established in 1862 and this model was used in other districts (district nursing system) throughout the United Kingdom. Rathbone continued to work to improve health care and helped establish the Queen's Nursing Institute (1887).

from wikimedia commons

This is probably the barest of summaries outlining Rathbones efforts in this area. But, we do have access to the memoir written in 1905 by Eleanor Rathbone, his daughter, if you want to learn more. And, as a side note, Eleanor was also a social reformer and politician, working for women's rights and support for refugees.

Contrast and Comparison

It is interesting to me to explore the motivations of an individual who was predisposed towards a philanthropic lifestyle as William Rathbone, Jr appeared to be. In his case, the focus for much of his heralded works came after tragedy, the loss of his wife in 1859 - even if it didn't precipitate his involvement in charitable works. The experience of dealing with Lucretia's illness and death provided him with the duel revelation that skilled nursing could do much to alleviate suffering and the knowledge that he was privileged to receive that help when he or his family needed it. He recognized that most others were not in that same position and sought to do something about it.

The August Postal History Sunday titled Quarantine! focused on Dr. John Swinburne, another individual who was from a family in a privileged position. Again, Swinburne appears to have subscribed to the idea that his position afforded him the opportunity to perform public service - using his medical knowledge to serve as a volunteer army surgeon in the Civil War. He was then appointed as the Health Officer of the Port of New York, in charge of the quarantine facilities there. He would later volunteer his surgical and organizational expertise during the Siege of Paris and later set up a free clinic in New York that served many who could not afford medical care.

Unlike Rathbone, I detected no specific personal event that served as a revelation and turning point for Swinburne. Yet, he was clearly motivated to help those who seemed to need it.

Then there is the case of Amicie Lebaudy, which we looked at in Business, Madness and Social Betterment back in March of 2021.

Unlike Rathbone and Swinburne, the Lebaudy family apparently saw business simply as a means to gaining power and wealth. Amicie Lebaudy was an exception to this rule. She was able to carve out a space to perform philanthropic work and do some writing while her husband still lived by using a pseudonym. But, she was hesitant to place the name "Lebaudy" on her charitable works because she said that "Lebaudy was synonymous with money ill-gotten."

However, like Rathbone, the death of a son from tuberculosis seems to have been a turning point that provided focus. After her husband's death (and her other son, Mad Jacques had also died), Amicie felt free to create Groupe de Maisons Overieres, which still creates affordable housing for those without means to acquire suitable homes otherwise. She was also involved in providing medical care and provided funds for new hospital facilities.

All three of these people were, I am certain, imperfect and the solutions they championed to help others were also flawed. And yet, I cannot help but have the greatest admiration for each of them and all others who find within themselves - whether they have significant wealth or not - the desire to provide service...

for the good of others.

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Thank you again for visiting me today as we let postal history items lead us to stories that can be very interesting. I am hopeful that you were entertained and that, maybe, you learned something new.

Have a great remainder of your day and a fine week to come!

Sunday, October 16, 2022

On the Verso - Postal History Sunday

This is the place where I like to share something I enjoy - postal history - with anyone who is interested. It does not matter if you are a long time member of the hobby or if you were just passing by and wondered what was going on here. It is my hope and intention that my writing is accessible to all levels of interest and that you will find enjoyment in the reading. Perhaps, we might also all learn something new while we are at it!

Put on those fuzzy slippers, grab a favorite beverage, and lock those troubles in the shed for at least a little while. Join me as I see where some old postal items take us.

Traveling Europe

This week, I thought I would focus on what we can learn on the BACK of a piece of mail. Some people would call this side of an envelope or folded letter "the verso," hence the title of this Postal History Sunday. And, since that is our focus this week, I took the liberty of doing things backwards with our first item and showing you the verso first.

This one has a whole lot of things going on - which is why I selected it to go first. I am hoping to make the point that the back side of a piece of letter mail can be just as valuable (and sometimes more valuable) in our quest to read the history that surrounds a particular item. We can trace a significant amount of the travels for this letter by reading the multiple postal markings shown here. We can learn that the representative for the United States in Florence had something to do with this item. And, we can even see some evidence of prior collectors of this particular piece of postal history.

The postal markings we can see here are:

London May 15
Susa Modane May 19(?) 1865
Firenze May 19
Pontelagoscuro Ferrara May 20
Venezia May 21
Distributione I

That's quite a bit of information on the travels of this particular letter. It was in London, then it went through France and entered Italy via the tunnel at Modane (Susa Modane). It went to Florence (Firenze) in Italy, then it went East to Ferrara on its way to Venice (Venezia). The last marking tells us that the first delivery of the mail by the postal carriers in Venice took the letter to its destination.

There is another circular marking that is not a postal marking - it was applied at the U.S. Consulate General's office in Florence. The Consulate General was (and still is) "responsible for the welfare and whereabouts of US citizens traveling and residing abroad." The existence of this marking gives us a clue that the letter was probably to a traveling US citizen who was in Italy in May of 1865.

The last piece of information has nothing to do with the postal history of this envelope. Instead, it tells us a couple of things about the ownership history of this particular item. Henry C. Gibson was an individual who had a significant collection of United States postal history that was sold in a sale offered by Philip Ward in 1944. This particular envelope was sold in that sale.

But, if you look at the pencil markings at the right, you will see the name "Hyzen" and some other letters. Leon Hyzen was an individual who collected postal history with the 24 cent postage stamp I also enjoy. So, it appears this letter was also in his collection.

So, what does the front look like?

The verso actually told us a great deal, but the front shows us that this is an even more complex story. This letter was initially mailed in Boston to London, England. A 24-cent US stamp was applied to pay the postage required to get it from Boston to London. Our traveler, Mrs. Abbot Lawrence was apparently not in London. But, since the letter had been sent to the Baring Brothers (a company that supported travelers with banking and communications services), they knew to forward the letter to Florence, Italy. To do that, they paid the British postage to go from London to Italy (6 pence).

Baring Brothers knew to send that letter to Florence. Since the Consulate General's job was to know the whereabouts of US citizens in Italy, the Consulate sent the letter on to the "Hotel de l'Europe" in Venezia (Venice)

It all ends up to a be an interesting "merry chase" cover.

Hey, you! Look on the back!

Sometimes, the front of a piece of postal history holds a clue that it is important for a clerk or postal customer to look on the back for an explanation. The item shown above was mailed in Chambery, France to a local address. There is a small notation at the lower right that reads "au dos," which essentially means "on the back."

And, so, our curiosity peaked, we look on the verso to see what is there that needs to be known.

On the back is the word "Inconnu," which indicates that the individual is "unknown." In other words, this person could not be found by the postal service and there was apparently no way to know where to forward it. So, this item was returned to the sender and the combination of "au dos" on the front and "inconnu" on the back gave them the reason for that return.

The contents of this official notice from the tribunal in Chambery is a summons for an appearance in court. The bottom letter informs the recipient that they may assign a substitute to appear and that failure to appear would incur a fine. Apparently, the addressee was not located, so I find it likely a fine was levied...and I also guess they didn't see this person again without a little additional searching.

Postage on the back might mean something different

Two weeks ago, we showed an item that had postage stamps on the back that indicated that the postage had not been paid and needed to be paid by the recipient. This time around, we're going to look at a case where postage on the back meant something different.

The 1889 envelope shown above was mailed from England to France. Two and a half pence in postage stamps paid for the cost of letter mail between the two countries. However, the envelope has a big, blue "R" at the top left and the words "Registered Letter" on the top. Registration of the mail provided additional tracking services and better security for valuable items. This service required more postage beyond the 2 1/2 pence.

And here is proof of payment for the registration of this letter on the verso. In this case, special envelopes were created for registered letters with the postage amount pre-printed on the envelope. Sometimes in some postal systems, regular postage stamps were placed on the verso to show payment of registration. Just another reason to look on the back to figure out the rest of the story.

Sealed with a kiss... or maybe just wax

Here is another registered letter, but this time the postage for letter mail and registration was placed on the front. But, the back shows us some other things of interest.

Registered letters often held valuable contents, so it was important to make sure the letter was well-sealed and that there was evidence that the seal had not been broken prior to its arrival at the destination. In the mid-1800s it was common to use black or red wax to provide that seal. If you look closely, you will see that each of the wax seals are applied at points where the flaps of the envelope meet.

And sometimes, there was evidence that tells us a little something about the sender of a given letter. Perhaps, with a little bit of time, I could track down who Cesare de Antoni in Milano was in 1869, when this registered letter was mailed.

But, as you know, time has a way to making us all look a bit foolish and I was unable to complete that task prior to the Sunday launch.

And sometimes the back is just where the postage goes

Just because one country opted to have the postage shown on the same side as the address panel, doesn't mean another country must follow suit. In India and Southeast Asia, there was a period of time where it was typical to place the evidence of postage paid on the verso.

Shown above is a letter mailed in 1914 from Singapore to Devakota in India. Address information is provided in multiple languages, including the suggestion that this item be sent via Colombo. There is also a Singapore postmark at the top right. What isn't visible here is evidence of postage paid or postage owed.

So, we look to the verso.

Ahhh! There it is. Postage paid and a Singapore postmark on the stamp to prevent it from being re-used. There are even postmarks showing that the letter was received in Devakota.

And now you all know why I flip each piece of postal history over to view the verso. While it is not always the case, the back often provides more to the story.

Thank you again for joining me this week with Postal History Sunday. Have a great remainder of your day and a fine week to come!

Sunday, October 9, 2022

Expanding Horizons - Postal History Sunday

This week I thought we would start with something bold that grabs the eyes. Shown above is an envelope that had a printed, decorative design on the front that reads "Humboldt." The envelope is addressed to a Professor William Procter Jr of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and two cents of postage was paid by a brown two cent postage stamp applied at the top right of the envelope.

The postage stamp talks to us

Of course, it is the printed design that demands our attention first, which is exactly why I thought I'd talk about everything else first.

The two-cent postage stamp was part of a series of ten designs called (not terribly creatively) the 1869 Pictorial Issue. Each design featured a different denomination (postage value in cents). This particular design, for 2 cents in postage, was first used on March 20 of 1869. This series of stamps was unpopular with the public and was replaced after a short period of time and a new 2-cent stamp featuring Andrew Jackson was put in use in July of 1870.

So - why is this bit of information important to us today? Well, the only postmark on the front OR back of this envelope is the target cancellation that was used to deface the stamp so it couldn't be used a second time. There is no marking with a date and there is no markings to show us where this envelope was mailed from. But, because we know this particular stamp is going to appear primarily on mail from March of 1869 to July of 1870, we can make an solid educated guess that this letter was mailed then.

It's an unsealed circular - what's that mean?

The regular postage rate during that time period was 3 cents per 1/2 ounce of weight for letter mail in the United States, so this was clearly not a piece of letter mail. There were cheaper rates for items that we often refer to as printed matter. Newspapers and other periodicals are what often comes to mind. However, there was a rate for printed circulars, such as promotional material for events or advertisements for products. This rate was 2 cents for a wrapper or envelope containing up to three copies of the same circular (effective July 1, 1863 until June 7, 1872).

To qualify for this rate, the contents had to be available for the postal clerk to check to make sure no personal correspondence was included. That meant, to qualify, this envelope could not be sealed (hence the name unsealed circular).

And, sure enough, when we look at the flap of this envelope, the gum for the back flap has never been used. So, this envelope contained up to three copies of the same printed circular. Probably advertising a product or event that had something to do with.... Humboldt.

But, before we get to that, it is important that we take note. The postage stamp's primary use period was 1869-1870. The postage rate that makes sense was effective from 1863 to 1872. This gives us a pretty good idea that this unsealed circular was mailed sometime from 1869 to the early 1870s.

Who was William Procter, Jr?

Well, ok. I guess I kind of told you that we were going to do the "Humboldt" thing next. I guess I was wrong. We're going to talk about Procter first, because this helps builds the case for what the fancy design on the envelope is referencing.

The "Father of American Pharmacy" from a series by Robert Thom

Apparently Procter (1817-1874) was a respected pharmacist, graduating from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacology in 1837 and returning to teach in 1846. He resigned in 1866, but returned in 1872 to take the place of another professor after their death. Procter, himself, died soon after presenting a lecture to students at the college (the cause of death was listed as heart disease).

As is often the case for so many postal items that remain in good condition 150 years later, the recipient was an influential person who also did his fair share of writing. Procter served as the editor for the American Journal of Pharmacy for 22 years and can be seen above in the office for that journal (look at the words on the window).

In the early 1800s, pharmacy in the US was unregulated and drugs were sold by most anyone with no required training. The quality of these "medicines" could often be questionable, with some vendors adding "inert ingredients," such as sawdust as filler. Drugs rejected in Europe could be exported to the US and sold without any review.

Procter's focus was on the assay of drugs, checking for the content, the amounts, and the functional activity of medicines. He experimented with new methods and apparatus, wrote numerous scientific and practical articles and participated in the revision of the Pharmacopeia, which would eventually be adopted as part of the official standards for medications in the Food and Drug Act of 1906.

But, why do I bother to tell you all of this? What does it have to do with Humboldt?

What matters at the moment is that we understand who Procter was at the time. Procter was a person dedicated to learning and sharing that learning with others. He was a prominent thinker in his area of specialty and was likely well known in Philadelphia as a prominent intellectual. This is another piece of information that can help us to confirm what "Humboldt" means.

Finally - an educated guess

So, it is highly likely this item was mailed in 1869 or early 1870 based on the stamp and the postal rate. The individual to whom it was mailed was a prominent "thinker" of the time in Philadelphia. And, the name "Humboldt" is prominently displayed on the front of the envelope.

My conclusion is that this envelope held propaganda promoting the centennial anniversary of the birth of Alexander von Humboldt (1769 - 1859), which were held in mid-September of 1869. You might notice that I actually do link the wikipedia page for Humboldt above. What is written there is extremely thorough and very well cited. It will give anyone reading this blog post more than enough to wrap their heads around who Humboldt was.

Shown at the left is a clipping from the Philadelphia Inquirer dated September 14, 1869 outlining the celebrations in that city to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Humboldt's birth. Cities throughout the United States, but especially those with more prominent populations of persons with German origins, held one, two and even, three-day celebrations to honor this individual. President U.S. Grant was in Pittsburgh at the celebration being held there and former president Millard Fillmore was in Buffalo.

The United States was not the only location for these celebrations. Of course, there were many in Germany, but one can find evidence of them all over Europe, Australia and South America.

These celebrations were significant and grabbed the attention of many at the time. New York's event was said to have resulted in a estimated 25,000 people participating in festivities.

If this seems odd to you, that people in the United States would make a good deal out of this German fellow who had died in Germany ten years prior, then you might need to consider a few realities of the time. The United States Civil War had only been concluded four years prior and people were anxious to find good things to celebrate. And, it just so happened that this is the moment in history when Prussia had succeeded in uniting Germany in Europe. The German peoples, were feeling hopeful and empowered. They had a strong presence in the United States, so it should not be a surprise that they might play a significant role in driving the thoughts (and celebrations) of the people there.

Maybe it makes more sense if you knew who Humboldt was?

1806 oil painting by Weitsch

Practically every description I have found online for Alexander von Humboldt was that he was a "polymath." I am sure that's nice - except you have to know what a "polymath" is to appreciate it. The basic idea is that Humboldt had knowledge in a wide range of subjects. But, that might be underselling the individual more than a bit. Not only did he have knowledge of a wide range of subjects, he was able to make connections between those subjects and was a person other great thinkers of his time from Thomas Jefferson to Darwin looked to on many areas of knowledge.

Later in life, Humboldt gave lectures in Germany on a wide range of subjects that were well-attended and well-received. He then took it upon himself to write on those topics (he had already written and published much) and produced in the years up to his death a multi-volume work titled Kosmos. Volume One is offered here by Project Gutenberg.

"In considering the study of physical phenomena ... we find its noblest and most important result to be a knowledge of the chain of connection, by which all natural forces are linked together, and made mutually dependent upon each other ..." p.23 of the introduction of Kosmos

This work (and the Humboldt's work throughout his lifetime) encompasses everything from the medical professions to the sciences, philosophy, ecology and anthropology. Humboldt argues in this work that the Earth, and even the universe, is one interconnected whole. Each of the sciences were dependent on each other, just as society was dependent on nature and vice versa.

This is where my partner Tammy should become very happy. Humboldt made the claim that nothing happens in isolation. Or, as Tammy (also a very wise person) says, "We do not live in a vacuum."

botanical drawing by Humboldt from wikimedia

Alexander von Humboldt was a popular figure in the United States, even after his death, for many years - until the event of World War I when Germans in the US were no longer looked on with favor. Hence, anything related to Germany was no longer given the attention it once was. Additionally, we entered the age of "specialists," individuals who would focus on their subject area to the exclusion of others. Biologists would study biology and ignore chemistry and society became disconnected (and often put in opposition of) nature.

It is interesting to note that Humboldt was one of the first to write about the influence of human development and actions on climate. He was also adamant about the value of Indigenous cultures and was a strong opponent to slavery. These are two of the topic areas that are currently driving people to rediscover Humboldt.

And that brings me to the last piece of evidence that encourages me to believe that the envelope in question held materials for a Humboldt celebration. Alexander von Humboldt was respected and, perhaps, revered by the "thinkers" in the 1800s. A man, such as William Procter Jr most certainly knew who Humboldt was and likely had some of his own thoughts about at least some of Humboldt's work. In short, Procter was exactly the sort of person that promoters for an event to celebrate Humboldt would target.

But, even without that evidence, Humboldt had name recognition in the United States that was on par with Napoleon. The mere mention of the name was enough to convey meaning. While that may still be true for Napoleon, it is not the case for Humboldt. And I wonder if, perhaps, we got that wrong.

Expanding horizons

And now we get to climb back down from the heights of great minds that dig into the secrets of the Earth and the universe itself. Instead, we get to look for a few minutes at my own motivations as I continue to offer up a weekly writing with Postal History Sunday. You see, a bit of the "polymath" lives in me as well. I am a person who likes to learn and understand things from many disciplines and many subject areas.

I just don't pretend that I am a "Humboldt."

Initially, I was primarily interested in postage stamps (philately) and as a young collector I did not meet a postage stamp I did not like. While I had to work within limited resources, I did start by simply finding as much as I could find to look at. By exposing myself to the diversity that existed in the subject area, I could begin to get an idea of what was there - and what I could do with it.

I discovered beautiful designs like those shown above, and I also realized that if I wanted to make the most of my resources (time, energy, and money) I would have to focus on something.

One of my first efforts to concentrate on a specific sub-topic was the 1934 National Parks postage stamps issued by the United States. It was a personal goal to eventually have each of the ten denominations of those stamps in my own collection. But, while I was at it, I learned a little about each of the parks depicted. And, I picked up interesting pieces of knowledge about how these stamps were made. And I started to realize that the new knowledge I was collecting was pointing me to things that resided outside that area of interest.

I found that postal history was even more interesting to me than postage stamps alone. I was attracted to the breadth of possibilities that I could see if I were to explore.

But, like all large topics, it can be difficult to find a purchase so you can get started with your learning. So, once again, I opted to limit my focus so I could concentrate on creating a ledge to stand on that might allow to reach other things. In my case, that ledge was to focus on one single stamp design - the 24 cent 1861 stamp issue. The purpose was twofold (well probably more than that, but two will suffice):

to prevent me from dashing from item to item without making any connections - and eventually becoming discouraged by lack of progress
to find a way to focus my limited resources so I could enjoy the learning that followed

And that has been my pattern over the years. I use the specific, or limited, topic to help me to appreciate the depth each such area has. By exploring in depth, I prepare myself to be able to take a leap to new things. Then, I find connections with broader areas of knowledge in postal history. And, by doing that, I end up understanding my earlier topics even better than I had when I had only focused on them.

So, now, I enjoy finding all sorts of postal history from the 1850s, 60s and 70s - even if they do not include the United States as a destination or origin. But, it gets even better than that.

I find myself appreciating topics that are not necessarily "postal history." But, the postal history I enjoy introduces me to them so that I am able to explore and learn something new. Which, in turn, encourages me to look for other connections that lead me to more new and exciting places.

Places like Philadelphia, where a respected pharmacist received a flyer in the mail about the upcoming celebration to honor a man who climbed mountains, sketched plants and animals, measured everything he could, and willingly shared his learning with any who would read or would listen.

Thanks for taking today's journey with me. Have a great remainder of your day and a fine week to come.

Additional resources

This essay by Laura Dassow Walls does a good job of introducing Humboldt's Kosmos, if you have interest.

I found this article by Timothy Rooks to be an engaging summary of Humboldt's life and his works - including his travels through South America.

Do you have a little less time? This article in the New Yorker by Elizabeth Kolbert might be a good introduction to Humboldt.

Andrea Wulf wrote the books “The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World” and “The Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt.” The second is an illustrated biography documenting the explorer’s great journey through South America (1799 – 1804). If you would like to learn more about these works, Wulf is interviewed here.