Mulready stationery
Mulready stationery describes the postal stationery letter sheets and envelopes that were introduced as part of the British Post Office postal reforms of 1840. They went on sale on 1 May 1840, and were valid for use from 6 May. The Mulready name arises from the fact that William Mulready, a well-known artist of the time, was commissioned to illustrate the part of the letter sheets and envelopes which corresponded with the face area.
Design
The design incorporated a munificent Britannia at the centre top with a shield and a reclining lion surrounded on either side by a representation of the continents of Asia and North America with people reading their mail in the two lower corners, bestowing the benefits of mail services to the countries of the world under British control.[1] The Mulready illustration, engraved by John Thompson, was printed such that it appeared on the face of the sheets when folded. The Mulready letter sheets followed the traditional letter sheet design and could be folded as normal while the envelopes were a diamond-shaped sheet which, when the sides were folded to the center, became an envelope and the overlapping edges were then sealed.
The Mulready illustration was effectively a very elaborate frank indicating that postage had been pre-paid. In the same way that the first
Demise
Within two months a decision had been made to replace the Mulready designed stationery and essentially they were a
The design was to write on the inside or to enclose a letter written on ordinary paper. The Mulready letter sheet was fundamentally akin to the present-day aerogram.
Pre-
References
- ISBN 1858911621.
- ^ "Mulready stationery: Letter sheets and envelopes". The Queen's Own: Stamps That Changed the World. National Postal Museum. Archived from the original on 2019-12-18. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
- ^ "Mulready stationery: Caricatures". The Queen's Own: Stamps That Changed the World. National Postal Museum. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
- ^ "Mulready Letter Sheets". Alphabetilately. Retrieved 2006-09-25.
Further reading
- Baker, Colin (2000). Great Britain: The Mulready Postal Stationery. Warminster: Postal Stationery Society.
- Bodily, Ritchie (1984). British Pictorial Envelopes of The 19th Century. Chicago: Collectors Club of Chicago. ISBN 0-916675-02-5.
- Evans, Edward B. (1970). A Description of the Mulready Envelope and of Various Imitations and Caricatures of Its Design: with an account of other illustrated envelopes of 1840 and following years. Wakefield: S.R. Publishers/Stanley Gibbons. ISBN 0-85409-507-1.
- Huggins, Alan; Holyoake, Alan (2015). The Mulready Postal Stationery Its Genesis, Production and Usage. Sutton Coldfield: GB Philatelic Publications Ltd on behalf of The Great Britain Philatelic Society and The Postal Stationery Society. ISBN 9780907630296.
- Jackson, Mike (1999). May Dates: A survey of Penny Blacks, Twopenny Blues, Mulreadys and caricatures used during May 1840. Melton Mowbray: Mike Jackson Publications. ISBN 0-952827-41-7.
- Lowe, Malcolm G. (1983). The Mulready Advertisements. Laguna Hills, Calif.: Mulready Research Foundation. ISBN 0-9114510-0-5.
- Wears, Thomas Martin (1886). The History of the Mulready Envelope. Bury St. Edmunds: C.H. Nunn.
External links
- First Day of Issue, 6 May 1840, Mulready letter sheet Royal Insight (British Monarchy website)
- Mulready's, Parodies, Lampoons & Caricatures (wayback machine link)
- Propaganda Envelopes, Hand-Painted Envelopes, Reproductions and Forgeries (wayback machine link)
- Proof of One Penny Mulready lettersheet (details) Larger image British Postal Museum and Archive
- Proof of One and Two Penny Mulready envelopes (details) Larger image British Postal Museum and Archive