Expanding Horizons - 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).

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):

1. to prevent me from dashing from item to item without making any connections - and eventually becoming discouraged by lack of progress
2. 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.