February 2015 BPMA newsletter

Newsletterwww.postalheritage.org.uk

February 2015

Anthony Trollope Bicentenary Commemorative issue

CQ BPMA Newsletter FEB15.indd 1 11/02/2015 16:20

ContentsNews & Activities4 News

5 Events

6 New BPMA Touring Exhibition; Pop it in the Post: The World at the end of your Street

Postal History8 Anthony Trollope: Pioneer of the Postal Service

10 The Literary Postman: How Anthony Trollope’s career in the Post Offi ce directly infl uenced his writing

12 The Mystery of the Tolhurst Envelopes

14 Will you be my Valentine?

16 ‘Come Home at Once’

Regulars18 My Favourite Object

19 Meet the Volunteer

19 Tell us your story

16

6

14

19

18

Front cover: Anthony Trollope, Post Offi ce Surveyor


WelcomeIt seems only a couple of months ago that I was talking about what an exciting year 2014 was going to be – and it certainly delivered. We were awarded planning permission to open Mail Rail as a visitor attraction as well as a £4.5m Heritage Lottery Fund grant, and signed all the necessary paperwork for us to start construction. I assure you 2015 will be no less exciting. This is the year that The Postal Museum including Mail Rail physically starts taking shape as we begin demolition and construction on both sites. While this is taking place we’ll also be fi nalising the gallery designs and making the diffi cult decision of which of our many fascinating stories and remarkable objects we will be putting on permanent display once we open. I can’t wait to update you further on this as we go through the year.

2015 also sees a couple of major anniversaries. On 24 April we celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of Anthony Trollope, who as you’ll see on page 8 spent 34 years working for the Post Offi ce and was responsible for introducing pillar boxes to the UK. Also in this issue Michael Williamson of the Trollope Society tells us about how Trollope’s time in the postal service went on to infl uence his writing.

In keeping with this theme this issue looks at a number of unusual letters and parcels that have been sent through the post. With Valentine’s Day coming up our Curator Emma Harper has been looking at changes in Valentines cards since their introduction more than 250 years ago, and has uncovered some rather unique declarations of affection. Another of our Curators

Joanna Espin has also been looking at unconventional correspondences, but in the form of Mail Art.

This year is also the 175th anniversary of the introduction of the Penny Black, the world’s fi rst adhesive postage stamp, part of major Victorian postal reforms that changed the world. Here at the BPMA we have plenty planned to commemorate this from an exciting new exhibition to schools workshops highlighting the communications revolution, but more about that in the next issue.

After the global commemorations marking the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War last year, we are continuing to commemorate the men and women of the Post Offi ce who served both at home and on the fi ghting fronts throughout 2015. Our fl agship exhibition, Last Post, is now into its last few weeks at the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron, but we will still be ensuring that the remarkable, and often unknown, stories it contains, as well as many more, continue to be told.

Finally we’ll be at Spring Stampex again this year between 18-21 February, where we’ll be providing the latest updates on our work, asking for your postal stories to support our new museum and displaying a preview of our upcoming exhibition based on Trollope’s work introducing the pillar box to Britain. Please come and fi nd us if you’re attending, we always look forward to meeting you.

Adrian Steel Director

British Postal Museum & ArchiveFreeling HousePhoenix PlaceLONDON WC1X 0DL

[email protected] www.postalheritage.org.uk

You can sign up for the free BPMA e-newsletter on our website

©The British Postal Museum & ArchiveUnless otherwise stated all material ©Royal Mail Group Ltd 2015, courtesy of The British Postal Museum & Archive or British Postal Museum & Archive 2015

The BPMA is the public identity of the Postal Heritage Trust.

Registered as a charity in England and WalesCharity No.1102360, Company No. 4896056

[email protected]: @BPMA_Adrian

February 2015 BPMA Newsletter 3

www.postalheritage.org.uk


sarah.carr

Note

Picture not in line, move down.

harry.huskisson

Comment on Text

Larger font

NewsBPMA gets new Head of Fundraising

Emma Jhita joined the BPMA before Christmas as Head of Fundraising, having previously been at the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts where she was Head of Individual Giving. Emma will help the BPMA complete its major capital fundraising campaign to build The Postal Museum. She will also oversee the transition to revenue fundraising and further the organisation’s objectives as an independent, educational charity.

The BPMA is heading to Stampex

The BPMA will be at Spring Stampex between 18-21 February at the Business Design Centre, Islington, London. On display will be part of our upcoming exhibition to mark the bicentenary of the birth of Anthony Trollope, information about the project to open The Postal Museum, including Mail Rail, and the usual range of exciting products available for purchase. Please feel free to stop by and have a chat.

Last few weeks of Last Post at CoalbrookdaleThe BPMA’s fl agship First World War exhibition Last Post: The Post Offi ce in the First World War is now into its fi nal few weeks at the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron, part of the Ironbridge Gorge museums group, closing on Friday 27 March. On display are poems by renowned war poet Wilfred Owen, the frontline diary of Post Offi ce Rifl e Thomas May and range of service medals. After 27 March, a touring version will continue to travel to venues across the country for the duration of the First World War Centenary. Keep an eye on our website to see if it will be on display near you.

NewsBPMA gets new Head of Fundraising

Emma Jhita joined the BPMA before Christmas as Head of Fundraising, having previously been at the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts where she was Head of Individual Giving. Emma will help the BPMA complete its major capital fundraising campaign to build The Postal Museum. She will also oversee the transition to revenue fundraising and further the organisation’s objectives as an independent, educational charity.

4 BPMA Newsletter February 2015



Events

Unstitching the Uniform with Joanna EspinThursday 26 March 2015 18.00-20.00, The Guildhall Library‘Unstitching the Uniform’ will reveal the hidden stories and rich social history concealed within the British Postal Museum & Archive’s Uniform Collection. The talk begins with the fi rst postal uniform in 1784; explores developments in uniform for women; and examines the creation of different uniforms for employees of different religions. Uncovering underlying cultural concerns, remarkable stories about the people who wore the uniform and the reasons behind design choices, the talk will study different periods and places to decode the complex messages sent out by what we wear.

‘My Dear Tony’ with Julian StrayThursday 30 April 2015 19.00-20.00, The Phoenix Centre200 years ago Anthony Trollope was born, a great Victorian novelist known for his writings on the political, social and gender issues of the day . But, as explored in this fascinating talk, his life extended far beyond his writing. Julian Stray will share with us the eventful postal career of Trollope. From his early days as a misbehaving clerk at postal headquarters to globe trotting troubleshooter and, pioneer of the pillar box in 1852. To fi nd out more about his remarkable career see page 8.

‘No one writes to the General’ with Maria Vasquez-Aguilar Thursday 26 February 2015 19:00 - 20:00, The Phoenix Centre11 September 1973 saw the military overthrow of the President of Chile. What followed was a brutal regime, under General Pinochet, which was to last 17 years, causing the death, torture and disappearances of thousands of men, women and children. This talk will look at the role the postal service unwittingly played during those years. From linking Chilean refugees and activists in the UK to help counter censorship, to raising awareness to the outside world of the horrors being played out in Chile.

For more information on BPMA talks and to book tickets please visit www.postalheritage.org.uk, email [email protected] or telephone 020 7239 2570

Below: Post Women trying on hats

Anthony Trollope’s signature handstamp. Used while on offi cial duties for the Post Offi ce




To mark the bicentenary of Anthony Trollope’s birth, the BPMA has developed a new family touring exhibition that looks at one of Trollope’s greatest achievements from his time working for the Post Offi ce - the introduction of the now universally recognisable pillar box. For over 160 years,

people in Britain have been able to stick a stamp on a letter and

post it into a pillar box- sending news to friends and family across Britain, and further afi eld.

Running from Saturday 28 March to Saturday 2 May in the Learning Space at Islington Museum, the exhibition begins by exploring life before stamps and pillar boxes, when only the privileged few could afford to send letters. It then goes on to look at their ground-breaking introduction, and the increase in literacy that followed, launching the communication revolution.

The popularity of pillar boxes grew throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Post boxes of all shapes and sizes were soon available in towns, cities and villages. Being able to walk down the road and post a letter in a pillar box transformed how people were able to keep in touch. Through the exhibition you will meet the individuals who made this possible, and understand how millions of people’s lives were changed. The world became a much smaller place – and all because of this simple box at the end of the street.

This small exhibition will include original Victorian pillar boxes, activities and games, and replica Victorian letter carrier

uniforms to try on. Throughout the exhibition run at Islington

Museum there will also be fun daytime drop-in sessions for children, led by education staff. Please check our website

nearer the time for more information on these activities.

Following its appearance at Islington Museum, the exhibition is due to be

displayed at Mansfi eld Museum in October and

November. We are expecting to send it to a number of other

museums in future so please keep checking the exhibitions page on our website or sign up to our e-newsletter to see if it’ll be heading to a ve nue near you.

For opening days and times for the Islington Museum exhibition please visit their website at islington.gov.uk/museum.

New BPMA Touring Exhibition; Pop it in the Post: The World at the end of your Street

Children help the postman empty a pillar box ©Ladybird

Left: One of the fi rst pillar boxes, from Gurnsey

A Postman on delivery c.1891




Main image: A Penfold letter box, taken in Buxton

Top Left: Front of a ‘Priory Tea I Spy Out and About’ trade card showing a boy posting a letter into a fluted letter box

Middle Left: Front of a Wills’ cigarette card showing a postman collecting letters from a letter box

Bottom Left: Illustration of a Postman from c.1860


sarah.carr

Note

Move from centre of image.

Many of our readers will be aware that the acclaimed author Anthony Trollope spent much of his life as a Post Offi ce employee; initially as a Junior Clerk, appointed 4 November 1834 and based at Post Offi ce Headquarters, St. Martin’s-le-Grand, London. By all accounts, including his own, he did little to impress his superiors while engaged in his fairly mundane work in a non-descript backroom offi ce. After seven years, he applied for the appointment as a Surveyor’s Clerk in Ireland. It was following this relocation and change in role in 1841 that he turned his life around.

His arrival in Ireland coincided with the massive increase in the use of the postal service by the public that stemmed from t he introduction of Postal Reform the previous year. The Regional Surveyors were the eyes and ears of postal headquarters and they had never been so busy. There was a heavy and increasing workload: checking routes and appointments, corresponding with the public, contractors and offi cials and improving on a service creaking under the strain of an ever increasing mailbag.

Trollope relished the challenge, riding out on a frequent basis to check the rural districts; he increased his earnings as a result of travelling allowance. He also witnessed fi rst-hand any problems and conversed with both those delivering and relying on the postal service. As a result of this, he became expert in the administration and application of solutions to the postal problem. The 1840s was a time of Mail Coaches being usurped by the Railway and the following decade was a period during which rural districts began to enjoy the sort of service previously unavailable to them.

Sent to the Channel Islands in 1851, more as a trouble-shooter than anything else, Trollope suggested a number of changes to the administration of the postal service on the islands. He provided horses for the letter carriers, increased the workforce and reviewed the deliveries. However these and other changes are perhaps insignifi cant when compared to one particular suggestion that he made to his superiors on the mainland: pillar boxes.

“Iron posts suited for the purpose may be erected at the corners of streets in such situation as may be desirable”

This is the fi rst recorded suggestion for the introduction of pillar boxes by the British postal service. The fi rst four boxes, brought into use in Jersey on 23 November 1852, were painted red, hexagonal, cast-iron and around four feet high. Sadly, none of these boxes survive today. The experiment continued and pillar boxes were erected on neighbouring Guernsey and mainland Britain the following year. It is possible that one of these boxes is that which is still in use in St. Peter Port, Guernsey to this day. Another contemporary box from that island holds pride of place in the BPMA collection. It is a remarkable survivor that is, possibly, the oldest pillar box in a museum collection anywhere in the world.

The ‘Rural Revision’ continued. However a pillar box was an expensive outlay to commit to small hamlets and villages in which the volume of mail remained small. The solution lay in another of Trollope’s suggestions made in 1852:

“It may be found more serviceable to fi x iron letter boxes about fi ve feet from the ground, wherever permanently built walls, fi t for the purpose, can be found, and I think that the public may safely be invited to use such boxes for depositing their letters”

Anthony Trollope: Pioneer of the Postal Service by Julian Stray, Senior Curator

Photograph of Anthony Trollope taken by A Claudet in the 1860s

Trollope’s expenses incurred whilst escorting French Mails




sarah.carr

Note

Bigger space needed between between line and body text

harry.huskisson

Comment on Text

Bold

Unfortunately, Trollope’s idea for wall boxes was ‘borrowed’ by the Post Offi ce Surveyor for the Western District of England. Experimental wall boxes were authorised to be erected and Trollope’s thoughts on these and later wall boxes was sought, however, perhaps not surprisingly, he was reticent to give much of an opinion.

Promoted to the post of Post Offi ce Surveyor in October 1854, Trollope travelled extensively across the UK and internationally on postal business; arranging contracts with railway companies, negotiating trade and route agreements, all the while gaining the intimate knowledge of work practices, individuals and districts that he wove into his novels. Trollope travelled, amongst other places, to Egypt, the Mediterranean, West Indies, Cuba and the USA. He maintained his strict writing regime throughout; working on both his novels and offi cial correspondence with Post Offi ce Headquarters in London.

On 3 October 1867, despite not having reached the normal retirement age of 60, Trollope tendered his resignation. He was now earning enough from his writing to not only support him but also allow him to live a life “within reach of publishers, clubs and the dinner parties of the metropolis”. He may have retired from offi cial duties but the negotiations, innovation and working practices that he was instrumental in bringing to the Post Offi ce are still resonating with us to this day.

Post Offi ce Notice Introducing the fi rst British Pillar Boxes on Jersey

Trollope’s mission to the USA 1 April 1868




The Literary Postman: How Anthony Trollope’s career in the Post Offi ce directly infl uenced his writingby Michael G Williamson Chairman of The Trollope Society

I wished, from the beginning, to be something more than a clerk in the Post Offi ce (Autobiography)

Although Anthony’s early period in the Post Offi ce was not a particularly happy one, this was largely caused by his family circumstances and his relative isolation as a young man in London. As his career progressed from junior clerk to District Surveyor, he became enthusiastic about his work and took a great pride in the many new developments that were being introduced. He was able to contribute ideas and infl uence change and he seems to have enjoyed this very much. Throughout his life he would often use his past experiences within the Post Offi ce as background information within his writing and there are, literally, hundreds of examples of this.

Within The Three Clerks each of the three young men working for the Civil Service display some of Trollope’s own characteristics as a young man and some of their experiences are based on Anthony’s own. The landlady, sweeping into Charley’s offi ce and demanding when he intended to marry her barmaid, recalls one of Trollope’s more embarrassing memories. Also in The Three Clerks, Trollope introduces Sir Gregory Hardlines and Sir Warwick Westend as thinly disguised versions of Sir Charles Trevelyan and Sir Stafford Northcote who were busy tackling the evils of patronage in the Civil Service and promoting the value of appointment on the basis of rigorous examination. The chapter, The Civil Service, in this novel is a distraction that contains many of Trollope’s own views about its current operation and he was to deliver lectures and write essays on the subject. He took part in the Committee of Enquiry of 1860 set up to investigate the claims by the Times of the shortcomings of the Post Offi ce.

In Marian Fay, one of the heroes, George Roden, is a clerk in the Post Offi ce who has become a close friend of Lord Hampstead, and the young Lord introduces him to his sister, Lady Frances, resulting in an ‘inappropriate’ love affair. Fortunately Roden’s parentage is not all it seems which eventually produces a happy ending. In many ways this plotline parallels Anthony’s long friendship with John Tilley, also from the Post Offi ce and his introduction to and later marriage with Anthony’s sister, Cecilia.

Also, in Marian Fay, Trollope produces a rather harsh characterisation of the former Secretary, Lt Col William Leader Maberley with whom he often disagreed. Recreated as the ‘windbag’ Sir Boreas Bodkin, Anthony was perhaps getting his own back. Several chapters in Marian Fay take place in a clerks’ offi ce in the Post Offi ce where Anthony had spent much of his time copying minutes.

In other novels, odd references reveal his inside knowledge about the Civil Service in general and the Post Offi ce in particular. John Eames’ career in the Civil Service in The Small House at Allington in some ways refl ects that of Trollope and Mrs Crump, the Postmistress at Allington is loud in her condemnation of regional inspections which became one of Anthony’s responsibilities.

“Letters indeed! What business have they with post-missuses, if they cannot pay ‘em better nor

tuppence farden a day?”

Mrs Crump, the formidable postmistress of Allington (‘The Small

House at Allington’)

“Oh letters! Drat them for letters. I wish there weren’t

no sich things.”Mrs Crump, the formidable

postmistress of Allington (‘The Small House at Allington’)




sarah.carr

Note

Are background images from the BPMA? Are there issues with permissions?

harry.huskisson

Comment on Text

Bold

Mrs Proudie in Barchester Towers condemns Sunday deliveries while, in many novels the timing of the delivery of a letter or a telegram can infl uence the plot. In The Way We Live Now Marie Melmotte’s elopement is foiled by a telegram. In Castle Richmond, Mr Somers’s letter leaves Ireland after Herbert Fitzgerald’s departure but reaches London before him.

In He Knew He Was Right Miss Jemima Stanbury heartily distrusts the newly constructed pillar box outside her front door and insists that her letters are always delivered to the local post offi ce. The times of delivery are sometimes the subject of remark with Nuncombe Putney suffering the delays of the wooden legged postman on a donkey contrasting with the Marquis of Brotherton’s assertion that his brother, Lord George, should have been a postman because of his preference for long walks in Is He Popenjoy.

In John Caldigate much of the resolution of the plot ultimately depends on whether a letter was sent on a particular date. Samuel Bagwax, Post Offi ce clerk, is fi nally able to spot a fl aw in the evidence which rather refl ects on the honesty of the Sydney Post Offi ce for which Trollope later apologised.

On several occasions Anthony was required to attend Court when his inspections had uncovered misdemeanours in local post offi ces and this gave him experience for his own dramatic courtroom scenes and legal characters such as Mr Chaffanbrass.

However, perhaps the greatest infl uence of Trollope’s work upon his writing was the opportunity it gave him for travel, both within the United Kingdom and on missions for the Post Offi ce abroad. He worked in all the Districts of Ireland and it was there that his visit of inspection to a local post offi ce inspired his fi rst book. His extensive travelling around the World produced several travel books and his detailed knowledge of many parts of England enabled him to write convincingly about fi ctional locations set within real geographical areas.

Trollope was undoubtedly proud of his work for the Post Offi ce and it continued to provide him with a never-ending source of valuable material.

“As for the iron pillar boxes which had been erected of late years for the receipt

of letters…she had not the faintest belief that any letter put into one of

them would ever reach its destination. She could not understand why people should not walk with their letters to

a respectable post-o� ce instead of chucking them into an iron stump”

The stubbornness of Miss Jemima Stanbury of Exeter (‘He Knew He Was Right’)

“Curlydown would willingly have expended the whole net

revenue of the post-o� ce – and that of his own – in improving the

machinery for stamping letters.” The dedication of Curlydown and Bagwax,

Post Offi ce clerks (‘John Caldigate’)




The Mystery of the Tolhurst Envelopesby Joanna Espin, C urator

The MysteryThe BPMA loves a mystery and the identity of the artist behind the illustrated ‘Tolhurst’ envelopes, so named because the majority of recipients were named Tolhurst, has intrigued us for several years. The Tolhurst envelopes were found in the collection backlog and there is no paperwork to explain when or from where they were acquired, but the illustrations are excellent examples of mail art and provide a window into a period of great change.

More than an EnvelopeThe illustrated Tolhurst envelopes in the collection, some 76 in total, were sent between 1909 and 1934. Several of Tolhurst’s illustrations depict experiences of the First World War. On one such envelope, sent in March 1915, is an illustration of a soldier, looking out onto a desolate ‘No Man’s Land’. The soldier is standing in a jagged trench, further along which two soldiers are crouched with their guns at the ready. It is a lonely image, as the central fi gure appears quite isolated, but it is also forbidding for he is surely in danger in such an exposed position. The palette of grey, which is used in all of the war images in the collection, is bleak and menacing.

Other Tolhurst designs observe contemporary style, such as the illustration of a cropped haired woman, smoking nonchalantly, driving a convertible. A continued regard for medieval chivalry and the English pastoral ideal is referenced, as knights charge across the envelope and quaint villages are visited.

Beyond an appreciation of the envelopes’ aesthetics, I was intrigued by the identity of the artist, and the relationship between the artist and the various recipients. I determined to fi nd out more.

Family HistoryThe fi rst step in identifying the artist was to research the address that the majority of the envelopes were sent to: St Lawrence, Ernest Road, Hornchurch. Colleagues at Havering Museum, where a selection of the envelopes were recently on display, researched the address in the census records and the London electoral rolls. The 1911 census showed the occupants of the address as George, Amelia, Frederick and Amy Tolhurst. Frederick and George Tolhurst, father and son, were frequent recipients of the illustrated envelopes. A Mrs Tolhurst also received illustrated envelopes at this address, which may have been either Amelia or Amy.

Example of how contemporary styles were represented on the Tolhurst envelopes

Medieval chivalry being represented through mail art Dipiction of the English countryside




harry.huskisson

Comment on Text

Bold

Locating the census record enabled the identifi cation of all but one recipient: Vera. Vera received the majority of the illustrated envelopes in the collection, and these were addressed to St Lawrence, Ernest Road, Hornchurch. However, she was not listed on the census record for this address, nor could I fi nd her in the birth records of the General Register Offi ce, due to lack of information. Not put off, I used the accumulated information to build a family tree. Constructing a family tree is a really useful way of recording the dates and facts gathered through family history research, making it far easier to understand relationships and family ties. You don’t need special software, just a large sheet of paper will do.

Further study of the envelopes uncovered a vital piece of information: the initials ‘FC’ appeared in the corner of several illustrations. The ‘FC’ mark, which could also be read as ‘FCT’, was clearly the artist’s signature. I searched the family tree for an ‘FC’ or an ‘FCT’ and found a Frederick Charles Tolhurst. I was sure that this Frederick Charles Tolhurst was the artist behind the mail art, but did not have fi rm proof.

Who, or what, is Vera?Vera continued to elude identifi cation. I considered whether Vera was a nickname or maybe an acronym, perhaps ‘Voter Education Registration & Action’, an organisation associated with the suffragist movement, but there was no evidence to confi rm either of these theories.

The turning point came when I discovered a postcard which was addressed to Vera and signed ‘with love & kisses from your Mama/ & Papa’. Looking back over all of the envelopes addressed to Vera, which include illustrations of dolls, duckings and fl owers, I realised that they were very likely to be momentos sent from father to daughter.

A search of the birth index for Vera Tolhurst revealed a Vera Sylvia Tolhust, born in 1908 in the district of Lambeth. A copy of the birth certifi cate was requested, which would list the name of Vera’s father and confi rm, or disprove, the theory about the relationship between the artist and the recipient.

When Vera’s birth certifi cate arrived at the BPMA it revealed that Frederick Charles Tolhurst was indeed her father, and listed as his occupation was Lithographic Artist Journeyman. In 1911, Tolhurst’s occupation was recorded in the census as Trade Union Secretary, but his artistic talent was maintained in the mail art he frequently sent to his family. Vera was visiting relations on the day the census took place in 1911, so her name was not registered at the address.

Frederick Charles Tolhurst sent mail art to his father, brother, daughter and many others. The variety of themes depicted and styles employed marks Tolhurst as a greatly talented mail artist. After several months of detective work, the mystery was solved and a fantastic story of communication revealed.

Who, or what, is Vera?Vera continued to elude identifi cation. I considered whether Vera was a nickname or maybe an acronym, perhaps ‘Voter Education Registration & Action’, an organisation associated with the suffragist movement, but there was no evidence to confi rm either of these theories.

The turning point came when I discovered a postcard which was addressed to Vera and signed ‘with love & kisses from your Mama/ & Papa’. Looking back over all of the envelopes addressed to Vera, which include illustrations of dolls, duckings and fl owers, I realised that they were very likely to be momentos sent from father to daughter.

Envelope with the design of a lonely man in the trenches

Below: Mail art envelope addressed to Vera Tolhurst

Doll design mail art envelope




February is, of course, synonymous with Valentines Day, a tradition that probably dates from the mid-18th century. Choosing a sweetheart on the day itself may be connected with the idea that 14 February is the date on which birds began mating. It has also been linked to a Christian martyr named Valentine who signed a letter to his jailer’s daughter, with whom he had fallen in love, “from your Valentine.” In the eighteenth century some even believed that the festival had developed from the Roman Lupercalia (15 February), which celebrated the coming of spring and included fertility rites and the pairing off of women with men by lottery.

Valentines cards pre-date Christmas cards by almost one hundred years; one of the earliest from the BPMA’s collection is an elaborate puzzle card dating from around 1790. Much like the folded paper ‘Fortune Teller’ game played in school playgrounds to this day, the puzzle is a piece of paper which when folded in different ways reveals different messages of love all linking together to tell a story of a man trying to win back the love of his sweetheart.

Not all valentines were declarations of love however; the BPMA’s collection also refl ects the many insulting Valentines that were sent. These valentines were even more unwelcome prior to 1840 as before the introduction of uniform penny postage letters were paid for by the recipient rather than the sender. As

such, on Valentine’s Day some people with a particular grudge or spite could, anonymously, send rude or grotesque valentines which the receiver would then have to pay for, really adding insult to injury. These have become colloquially known as spiteful or ‘vinegar valentines’. Complaints were made to postmasters requesting refunds for receiving such items.

Vinegar valentines usually featured a caricatured drawing with a rude verse underneath. One of these was sent to Thomas Williams of No. 41 Berkley Square in 1814 and starts as if it were a genuine valentine ‘O charms like thine are too divine…For thee I sigh, I faint, I die’. However, the verse soon turns, pointing out the man’s ‘crescent back’ and ending with the line ‘if all men, were like thee – then, I’d sooner die than marry’.

By the mid 19thCentury thousands of Valentines were being sent every year. This increase in the volume of mail each February prompted Francis Freeling, Secretary of the Post Offi ce to comment that ‘on or about St. Valentine’s Day, there is a most extraordinary influx of many thousand letters … we have had an addition of 50, or 60,000 Letters, consequently every possible exertion is necessary on our part to prevent delay and interruption to the general Mass of correspondence.’ His concern seemingly to be ensuring that these Valentines don’t interrupt the cause of ‘normal’ correspondence rather than that the messages of love are delivered correctly.

Indeed, the postman’s role as deliverer of the Valentine’s message is also often refl ected in cartoons or indeed the cards themselves. One of the more recent acquisitions to the museum collection is a print of a postman delivering letters on Valentine’s Day. Although of a much later date than the vinegar valentines, this print shows how the public didn’t always trust the Post Offi ce to deliver their love letters in a prompt and appropriate manner, and postmen were certainly not viewed as potential valentines themselves.

Will you be my Valentine?by Emma Harper, Curator

Century thousands of Valentines were being sent every year. This increase in the volume of mail each February prompted Francis Freeling, Secretary of the Post Offi ce

‘on or about St. Valentine’s Day, there is a most extraordinary influx of many thousand letters … we have had an addition of 50, or 60,000 Letters, consequently every possible exertion is necessary on our part to prevent delay and interruption to the general Mass of

His concern seemingly to be ensuring that these Valentines don’t interrupt the cause of ‘normal’ correspondence rather than that the messages of love are delivered

“ You are my dear the girl and only maid� at wholy hath my yielding heart betray’d� e thoughts of you are always in my mindSo be not cruel nor prove to me unkind”

Example of a Vinigar Valentine

The Puzzel Purse




harry.huskisson

Comment on Text

Mis-spelling - should be 'Puzzle'

harry.huskisson

Comment on Text

Bold

Over the past two hundred years Valentines have taken many different forms: some of the more unusual examples from BPMA’s collection include a pair of grey paper gloves with a verse between the two gloves; a jigsaw puzzle sent in an envelope decorated with large red heart enclosing Cupid shooting his arrow; a card containing cut-outs of ‘The requisite items of a Lady’s Dressing Case’ and cards which form many elaborate 3D scenes.

Over the past two hundred years Valentines have taken many different forms: some of the more unusual examples from BPMA’s collection include a pair of grey paper gloves with a verse between the two gloves; a jigsaw puzzle sent in an envelope decorated with large red heart enclosing Cupid shooting his with large red heart enclosing Cupid shooting his arrow; a card containing cut-outs of ‘The requisite items of a Lady’s Dressing Case’ and cards which

pair of grey paper gloves with a verse between the two gloves; a jigsaw puzzle sent in an envelope decorated with large red heart enclosing Cupid shooting his arrow; a card containing cut-outs of ‘The requisite items of a Lady’s Dressing Case’ and cards which

Valentine’s Day and the associated traditions have always caught people’s imaginations and continue to do so. While Vinegar Valentines may, thankfully, be a thing of the past, we still send over 1 billion Valentine cards every year. Some of these reproduce the classical scenes or forget-me-nots popular on Victorian cards, while others show more modern styles, scenes and word play.

Valentine’s card containing cut-outs of ladies clothing

Novelty Valentine made of two paper gloves with a verse between

Cartoon of a postman dressed as Cupid

An example of a vinegar valentine that shows the public’s mistrust of the post

Valentines Card jigsaw puzzel

Ornate Valentine’s card depicting a couple being unknowingly observed

Valentines card from the 1990s showing a contemporary design




As part of every school holiday, my family would make a trip to a village on the Cumbrian coast called Arnside. Ten years ago – a bit older, if not that much wiser - I went back to stay in Arnside for a few days. At a loose end, I walked into the village’s bric-a-brac shop ‘Past and Present’. Inside, I quickly lost myself looking through a tray packed full with old postcards. Filed on the basis of the pictures on their fronts, I picked out a couple of the city where I went to university and bought the pair.

The message on the fi rst was illegible - something about a holiday in Bournemouth. On the second was a coincidence that left me feeling dizzy. The sender was arranging to meet a university friend in Clapham, London, in 1904. Strangely, a hundred years later, I was living in Clapham, sending similar messages to my uni friends – only by text and email.

‘Come Home at Once’With help from the BPMA team, writer and researcher Guy Atkins recently published a book on his incredible collection of Edwardian postcard messages. Here, he explains the origins of ‘Come Home at Once’.

The interior of the ‘Past and Present’ bric-a-brac shop


sarah.carr

Note

Move to bottom and add © Guy Atkins

harry.huskisson

Comment on Text

Delete

What a message! Despite checking different sets of records over the years, I have little information on the story behind the card. Though I suspect it is precisely for this reason – that is, how Miss Emerson remains such a mystery – that I still fi nd the card so fascinating, and why it continues to act as a prompt for me to collect more Edwardian postcard messages.

As the collection has grown, Miss Emerson’s card has had to contend with many rivals for the top spot. From hours spent at fairs and in antiques shops, and thanks to family and friends emptying old albums and drawers, I’ve been lucky enough to come across other extraordinary messages from the ‘Golden Age’ of postcards – when the Post Offi ce was delivering hundreds of millions of cards each year. It is these cards – all sent between 1901 and 1914 - that form the basis of ‘Come Home at Once’.

As well as the challenge of tracking down more intriguing cards, I’ve also enjoyed being drawn into the history of postcards: how they fi rst came about, and how they’ve been sent and collected for generations. Through doing this research, I’ve become a bit of a regular at the British Postal Museum & Archive. In fact, only by looking through the brilliant cards in BPMA collections, and the administrative fi les and Post Offi ce reports from the early days of the postcard, has it been possible to understand some of the context for the card to Miss Emerson - even if her personal fate remains unclear (for now).

‘Come Home at Once’ is published by Bantam Press, and is available in all good book shops. The book presents 100 intriguing postcards from Guy’s collection of Edwardian postcards. For more details, visit Guy’s blog www.postcardese.com or follow him on Twitter at @guy_atkins.

Images from “Come Home at Once” by Guy Atkins.

Stirred by the coincidence, I couldn’t help trawling through all the cards in the shop. I didn’t know what I was looking for but just had a feeling I was onto something. And then there it was: in clear, poised handwriting, a moment lifted straight out of an E.M. Forster novel. Sent to Miss Emerson, care of Mr Bollam, on 21 December 1904:

“Come home at once, all is forgiven. We have not had any news from father. There is heaps of m---y waiting for you to spend. Surely after that you could not stay away.”

Reverse of the card giving the book it’s title, reading ‘come home at once’

The postcard depicted on the cover of the book

Postcard only reading a question mark




We have few details about when this poster was produced (the catalogue record suggests c1990), or its intended purpose. What is clear is that at the turn of the century the Royal Mail was considering, even if only in general terms, what the future may hold for pillar box design.

There are several elements of this design which I fi nd particularly interesting. Firstly the desire to retain the ‘traditional Royal Mail heritage styling’, even while looking towards the future, the business recognised and celebrated its strong heritage. This is also refl ected in the colour of the pillar box which remains red. Interestingly the colour of pillar boxes was only standardised in 1874. Prior to this many pillar boxes were green, but these were found to be too diffi cult to locate, particularly in rural areas. The introduction of an ‘illuminated crown and fringe lighting for night time location’ builds on this idea that pillar boxes need to be easy to see.

While building on the heritage tradition Royal Mail also envisaged incorporating modern technology into the design of the pillar box of the future. This is seen in the intelligent address query system, scanner features, and fi nal confi rmation of the address. On the staff side it is seen in the use of voice, image or fi ngerprint recognition to allow authorised access when collecting from the box. Consideration was also given to how the design of the pillar box could support onward mail

circulation, as illustrated by the use of the ‘letter cartridge system compatible with Royal Mail sorting equipment’. While all of these were the technology of the future in the late twentieth century some are now within the realm of possibility, however I can’t help but wonder how dated some of these suggestions may seem by the middle of this century.

Finally, the element I found most interesting was the Royal Cypher chosen to illustrate this box. Clearly the EIIR cypher would not be appropriate as the current monarch would be 124 years old in 2050. Likewise Prince Charles would be 102 years old and it is reasonable to expect he would have passed away or abdicated. Therefore it is logical to assume that Prince William would be the reigning monarch. However it would appear that the cypher is WIR or WIIR, in fact when William accedes he will be King William V.

1990 was the cusp of the digital age, with the mass ownership of personal computers and widely available internet access less than a decade away. It is interesting to see the faith Royal Mail had in the staying power of the letter, expecting volumes to still be high enough to warrant new boxes in 60 years’ time. It is unlikely that much more detailed work was undertaken in designing the pillar box of the future. However this poster does shed an interesting light on what the Royal Mail thought, in theory at least, the future may look like.

My Favourite Object by Helen Dafter, Archivist

Recently I have been sorting through the contents of the draws in our archive to ensure that they are housed securely for our move. An enjoyable by-product of this process has been uncovering items I was not previo usly aware of. This poster is one such item. Although it is catalogued and easily discoverable using our online catalogue, I doubt the subject is one I would ever have searched for.

The pillar box of the future, Royal Mail’s impression of a mid 21st century pillar box




harry.huskisson

Comment on Text

Bold and enlarge as sub-heading?

Meet the VolunteerSince September 2014 I have been volunteering at the BPMA assisting Curators Emma Harper and Joanna Espin in packing, auditing, recording and labeling the collection ahead of the museum’s move in 2016.

Over the past months I have had the chance to gain hands on experience working with a wide variety of objects including prints, jewelries and uniforms. I was also lucky to work with unique artifacts such as evidence from the 1963 Great Train Robbery, the Tolhurst mail art envelopes and the world’s first commercially produced Christmas card.

By working with such a varied collection, I have become familiar with conservation issues and procedures for different materials and have gained strong experience in object handling which will be crucial for my career development.

I am currently working full-time as a Visitor Experience Assistant at Wellcome Collection and hope to pursue a career in curating. The Curatorial Volunteer opportunity at the BPMA was a rare opportunity to gain hands-on, practical experience of collection management in a very competitive sector.

My volunteering work has already helped me gain more responsibilities in my full time job where I was recently put in charge of the handling collection and I am confident it will lead to further career development in the future.

Muriel Bailey – BPMA Curatorial Volunteer

To find out about current volunteering opportunities at the BPMA please visit the About Us page of our website.

Tell us your storyHave you ever tried to post a rubber egg? How about a leaf? Underpants? A toy frog? What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever received through the mail?

We want to hear your stories. People’s Post is a major new project the BPMA is undertaking to gathering stories from across the globe about people’s experiences of the postal service. Whether they are funny, touching or unusual we want to hear about it. Many of these stories will go on to be used in the museum galleries when we The Postal Museum opens just a couple of years from now.

One BPMA visitor shared their story with us:

“My most memorable piece of post was a goose sent to my godmother from her family in Ireland. She put the goose in the oven to cook and it blew the oven door off! It turned out that her Irish relatives had put a bottle of ‘poteen’, an Irish home brewed spirit, inside, which, being in a hurry to cook the goose, she hadn’t discovered.”

If you have a story you want to share with us email [email protected]

A postman stands in front of a table displaying items from the Returned Parcels Section




harry.huskisson

Comment on Text

Can we add in 'Muriel Bailey' in the title or directly below it rather than right at the bottom?

POST & GO FIRST DAY COVERPresented in a clear plastic pocket, these limited edition fi rst day covers include:• One First Class and one Second Class Machin stamp with the impression of the BPMA’s Channel Islands pillar box from c.1853 and the text for the underprint• Produced on a specially designed envelope• Cancelled with the offi cial British Postal Museum & Archive cancellation stamp dated for the fi rst day of issue. • Insert with information about Trollope. • Limited run of 200.

On Wednesday 18 February 2015, to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of novelist, and pillar box pioneer, Anthony Trollope we will be issuing a special commemorative underprint on Post & Go stamps. The Trollope underprint will be printed on the standard Machin, and second class Machin designs but not the Union Flag stamps. The illustrated design will feature an impression of the BPMA’s Channel Islands pillar box from c.1853 and the text for the underprint will read: The B.P.M.A. Trollope 200. Two exclusive Trollope Post & Go products are available:

How to orderwww.postalheritage.org.uk/shop

020 7354 7272

Write to: Product Sales, BPMA, Room 305, 5 Almeida St, N1 1AA. Please make cheques or postal orders payable to ‘Postal Heritage Services Ltd’.

Please remember to give the product name, quantity, your telephone number and delivery address when ordering.

Add the following to your order for postage & packaging: UK £3.50, EU £6.50, Rest of World £8.50

All orders are sent by standard fi rst class mail.

• Limited run of 200.

POST & GO PRESENTATION PACKPresented in a clear plastic pocket, the presentation pack contains:• One mint strip of First Class stamps and one mint strip of Second Class stamps• Specially designed envelope• Insert with information about Trollope


sarah.carr

Note

add '£4.95'

sarah.carr

Note

add '£16.00'

sarah.carr

Note

Box out.

harry.huskisson

Sticky Note

Can we fit in a title here to say BPMA Shop ?

Documents

February 2015 BPMA newsletter