When I Grow Up - Postal History Sunday

Welcome to the 167th Postal History Sunday entry since I started writing these weekly blogs in August of 2020.  For those who are relatively new to visiting, this started as a mini-project within a larger project.  Because we were in the midst of the pandemic and the social isolation that came with it, I felt that I could do my part to both help myself and others by writing - since I had (and have) some skill in that area.

My initial goal was to write a blog entry every day for three months on our farm blog (Genuine Faux Farm), starting at the end of March.  I reached that goal and continued writing.  Because I was writing frequently, and I enjoyed postal history as a hobby, it made sense to share some of that in addition to the various other topics (like farming) I covered.  Then, before I knew it, I'd written a series called Postal History Sunday for a year.  

My goal has remained the same.  I try to share something I enjoy in a way that people with little to no knowledge in postal history can understand what is written.  But, at the same time, I hope to provide enough that even those with significant postal history knowledge can also appreciate what is here.

So, put on those fuzzy slippers.  Grab a favorite beverage - but it keep it away from the computer keyboard and the paper collectibles.  Take your troubles and push them under the cushions in your couch (never to be seen again).  Maybe you'll find today's blog interesting and perhaps we'll all learn something new - or at least be entertained by the attempt.

 

One of the neat things about postal history is that you can often find connections to your own personal life.  For example, the illustrated cover shown above advertised the American Agriculturist for just $1.50 per year!  As a small-scale, diversified farmer, it is not hard to see how this particular item might attract my attention.  As the person who is just stopping by to read the blog, I can see why YOU might also be attracted to it.  There is so much to see here!

If you look carefully, you will find apples, pears, pumpkins, turnips, chickens, hoes, rakes, plows and even a couple of birds at the top left and right of the postage stamp.  In the text that describes the journal, they tout "300 to 400" instructive and beautiful engravings inside the journal itself.  The envelope's engravings probably aren't terribly instructive, but they certainly are beautifully done.

The postal history side of this item seems fairly simple.  It appears to have been mailed at the domestic rate for mail internal to the United States.  The postage stamp indicated payment of three cents, which was appropriate for a simple letter that weighed no more than 1/2 ounce.  

It looks to me as if the postmark is from New York - which would make sense if the mailer was the American Agriculturist.  The recipient's mailing address is a Box in the New York Post Office (NYPO).  It seems to me that this might have qualified for the lower, drop letter mail rate (local mail).  But, that was not used here, even if it did qualify.  

The letter was most likely mailed in 1868 given the style of postmark and the fact that the 3 cent postage stamp has something called a "grill" impressed in its paper.

If you look carefully at the image shown above, you can see a grid on the face of George Washington.  This is where the grill was impressed on the stamp.  At the time, the US Post Office was concerned about the loss of revenue caused by persons seeking to use stamps a second time by cleaning the post marks off of them.  The Post Office tried several new techniques to make cleaning hard to do.  In this case, by impressing a grid into the paper, they felt it would allow the ink to sink into the paper more (note the darker spots of cancelling ink where the grid is).  Also, the stamp might be more prone to breaking down during the cleaning process.

If you'd like to learn more about grills, you can view this Linn's Stamp News article by James Lee, or you can read this one by Peter Mosiondz, Jr. 

Now, getting back to what I was saying after I was distracted by the grill thing....

I will admit that I have not been terribly aggressive pursuing items simply because they have a personal connection for me, even though are numerous ways a person could do so.  You could hunt for items mailed to our from locations you once lived.  You could look for things postmarked on dates that are important to you or find covers that reflect your interests or occupation, as this one does for me.  The choices are limitless.

So, of course, I got into postal history by looking for things like this instead.

If you have visited this blog in the past, you might recall that I have pursued postal history that bears postage stamps with the design of the one shown above.  These stamps are the 24-cent value of the 1861 design of postage stamps.  Their typical use period was from August of 1861 through the 1860s.  Some might still be found that were in use into the early 1870s. 

This letter was mailed on November 29 of 1861 from Susquehanna Depo, Pennsylvania, to London, England.  The cost for a simple letter that crossed the Atlantic Ocean to England was 24 cents as long as it weighed no more than 1/2 ounce.  The letter traveled from Pennsylvania to New York City, where it left on a Cunard Line ship.  The red "19" was applied there and it was placed in a mailbag and not taken out until it got to the London foreign mail office.

The twenty-four cent stamp was attractive to me because I enjoyed viewing the fine lattice work around the stamps.  It's kind of like the American Agriculturist cover - there's lots to see here if you want to spend the time looking.  Can you imagine the time it took the engraver to etch this particular design?  Just take a moment to appreciate the skill that must have been required to do this in the first place!

People who study the 1861 issues, and the 24-cent stamp in particular, are aware that the papers and the inks changed over the period of time this design was printed (Aug 1861 to 1868).  Earlier papers tended to be whiter and thinner.  Also, there are some distinct color varieties (if you have a good eye for color) that are sought after.   In this case, the example shown above is a "steel blue" shade, which was printed during the earliest periods of production.

But, for me, the shades are secondary to the postal history and social history that each cover brings along with it.  

I have been actively enjoying covers that use this particular stamp since before the year 2000, and I have developed and shown an exhibit one to two times a year at various philatelic (stamp collecting) gatherings.  The exhibit has undergone many changes and improvements over the years.  It has done very well it's last couple of times out - one in Chicago (2021) and the other in Omaha (2019).  But, it took significant time and a fair amount of effort to get to that point.

What are you going to do when you grow up?

My first attempt at exhibiting happened in 1999, I think.  I showed one frame (16 pages) that included 24-cent stamps and some postal history.  At that time, the single frame exhibits were being touted for beginners and I did just fine in that class, getting a top prize in my first attempt.  Looking back, I'm not sure that it was so much because I good versus the fact that maybe I showed a little promise - of just that the competition was all "less good" than I.

So, I decided to jump into the big pool a year later and learned that I had a lot to learn.  But, that did not prevent me from coming back to try again and again - making adjustments to the display each time.  

At one point, my hope was to be able to receive a "gold" medal for the exhibit.  For those who are not initiated in this sort of exhibiting, a gold did not mean you'd won first place.  It simply meant, at the time, that you had an exhibit that was considered to be in the upper tier.  I might liken it to getting an A or A- in a class in school (maybe even a B+).  I appeared to be firmly entrenched in the "B range," which is the vermeil medal level. 

These exhibiting competitions include a judge's critique where all of the exhibitors can hear some critique for their work (and for the work of their peers who had also participated).  I recall one year in particular where I, once again, had received a vermeil award.  I raised my hand to request my comments and told them the title of my work.  Upon hearing it, the head judge took one look at me and exploded...

"What are you going to do when you grow up?!?"

I could have taken that wrong if I'd wanted, but I didn't.  I knew what this person meant.  Exhibiting has been (and still is) dominated by folks who are near or past retirement age.  The majority are men, though there were and are many women who are very well-respected.  I was, in the eyes of most of the judges and nearly all of the exhibitors - a pup.  And, it was not normal for a pup to be attempting a topic like this.  A farming exhibit - yes.  Postal history for the 24-cent 1861 postage stamp?  Not so much.

Still not sure what I'll do when I grow up

There is still some debate as to whether I have grown up or not.  I suspect that discussion never will be settled.  And I am perfectly fine with that.

So, while others argue one side or the other of that topic, I intend to continue to dive deeper into the postal history and social history that surround postal artifacts using the 24-cent stamp that was designed and put in use in 1861.  If I can also find a personal connection hidden in there at the same time, I won't say no.

For example, this envelope was mailed on September 22 (1860s) in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The letter bears 28 cents in postage which covers the price of a simple letter to Hannover - one of the German States.  The letter traveled from Cincinnati to New York City (by train), crossed the Atlantic on a Cunard Line ship and was off-loaded at Southampton.  From there it crossed the English Channel to Ostende, Belgium.  It crossed Belgium and entered the Prussian mails at Aachen, where it was taken out of the mailbag for the first time since it departed New York. From there, it took the railroad to its destination in Hannover.

The personal connection has to do with the origin.  I have been a long-time Cincinnati Reds (baseball) fan.  It may seem like a silly thing, but there is still a tiny thrill when I find a letter that is over 150 years old and I see the name "Cincinnati" on it.  It doesn't have to make sense.  It doesn't have to matter to you.  But, I like it.  I can enjoy some of the postal history I've been digging into for many years now and still indulge the personal connection.

Back to the American Agriculturist

At the point our first envelope was mailed, the American Agriculturist was published by Orange Judd and Company in New York City.  The journal started in 1843, and Orange Judd took control of its monthly publication in 1856.  Eventually, it moved to a weekly publication.

Advertisement for the journal in the American Agriculturist of January, 1869

An excellent article by Stephen Mandravelis focuses on the artwork in that journal and the increased use of engravings once Orange Judd and Company took over publication.  In fact, there are between 300 and 400 engravings in one year's worth of publication for the American Agriculturist in the mid-1860s, which is the time period when the letter must have been sent.  By the time we get to 1878, the journal had reached a number of engravings that measured beyond the 700 mark.

Mandravelis points out, in his paper, that the American Agriculturist promoted its product by emphasizing its artistic work - in addition to practical articles that could be useful to a wide range of people, including the "Boys and Girls."  Just look at the page on the right and towards the bottom and you will see how they sold what they did to the public.

"The best paper in the world in illustrations and original matter on agriculture, horticulture, housekeeping and for the boys and girls."

If you are interested in seeing some of the actual publications, they are housed on the Biodiversity Heritage Library.  You can find the image shown above if you view the 1869 volume (it is located in the second page labeled "text" after page 36).

And here is a letter advertising the Genesee Farmer, another contemporary farming journal.  A run of this journal from 1847 to 1865 can also be found on the Biodiversity Heritage Library.  The American Agriculturist absorbed the Genesee Farmer in 1866, so there is actually a direct link between the two.

If you do take a moment to view some of both of these publications, it rapidly becomes clear that the Genesee Farmer was not bent on employing the very best engravers for the artwork.  While there are some illustrations, the better illustrations are often found in the advertisements, rather than the text.  On the other hand, it is possible that I may find one or the other has better writing - should I allow myself the time to read more than I have already.

I took a moment and read something at random in the Genesee Farmer (page 124 of the 1864 volume), and found, much to my amusement, discussion and disagreement about the "proper" time to prune fruit trees.  Even today, I have heard much debate regarding the "best and proper" pruning period.  I've even heard some folks joke that the best time to prune is when you have the pruner in your hands (that includes Tammy and myself).

A good 2023 article by the Orchard People gives a nice summary of how different pruning timings might be best for certain situations.  And it should be noted, that timing is different based on region and the type of fruit tree.  In the end, the answer is like so many things in life - it depends.   But there is certainly agreement that Fall and early Winter is rarely a good time if you live in a colder, Northern Hemisphere climate, whether you read an article in 1864 or 2023. 

And now I transport you to the year 1949.  The postage rate for a simple letter is STILL 3 cents - but a simple letter can be as heavy as one ounce (instead of a half ounce).  The Farm Journal is still active in 2023 and there are online versions available from its inception in 1877 to 1943 at the University of Pennsylvania site.

A May 1878 Farm Journal article for the orchard on page 125 extols the virtue of having hogs in the orchard.  They root up the ground, fertilize the area and eat the fallen apples and pears.  The benefit of having those hogs eat the fallen apples is to prevent the increase of the codling moths, who like to lay their eggs in the young fruit.  Those fruit tend to fall to the ground, so the pigs eat the fruit AND the codling moth eggs/larvae.

So, there you are folks.  If you are having codling moth problems, move the pigs into the orchard!

Another Postal History Sunday in the books!  I hope you enjoyed it.  Have a great remainder of your day and a fine week to come.

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Postal History Sunday is published each week at both the Genuine Faux Farm blog and the GFF Postal History blog.  If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at this location.