Unpublished Tiffany Manuscripts
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Unpublished Tiffany Manuscripts by James Negus and Brian J. Birch London-born James William Negus (1927–2008) was awarded a BSc in Chem- istry from the University of London and followed a professional career in technical information and scientific publishing. In 1966 he became Technical Editor with the large general publisher William Heinemann Ltd. of London, responsible for educational subjects, to which he naturally added Philately. Jim began collecting stamps as a schoolboy aged seven, never lost his interest, and took to serious philately in 1948 after completing his National Service in the Royal Air Force. It remained his main hobby until he retired completely from col- lecting and all other philatelic activities in 2000. His main fame was as a philatelic writer, editor, and bibliographer. In 1975 he was appointed Cata- logue Editor for Stanley Gibbons, leaving the Com- pany in 1981 to become a self-employed editor and writer. Over the years, he joined many societies including the American Philatelic Society and the American Philatelic Research Library, of which he remained a member until his retirement. He was an Associate Editor of the American Philatelic Research Library’s Philatelic Literature Review from 1969 to James Negus 1975, so it is entirely appropriate that this posthu- mous work should be published in that periodical. When Jim retired as a professional philatelist, he passed over to me a number of his files containing bibliographic and biographical material. Among those, I found a document he had written with the above title but had never finished. Since it was an interesting and thorough review of the subject, I decided to bring it up-to-date and complete it, in his memory. Having worked on it in a desultory fashion for the past couple of years or so, I was spurred on to finishing it by Bonny Farmer’s article on the same subject in the 2nd Quarter 2012 Philatelic Literature Review. Negus’ Original Foreword: The present notes were inspired by reading the letter of February 15, 1888 from Tiffany to E. D. Bacon, discovered in the Royal Philatelic Society London Archives by my brother [Ron] in 1995. Tiffany refers at page [6] of his letter to being currently engaged in compiling the “reference list of all Stamp Journals,” also “(the American part is in press).” Thus, he had named it the Library Companion when published the following year; it was titled as a “Part I — US periodicals.” The particular appeal on 28 PLR Volume No. 62, 1st Quarter / 2013 1 Birch.indd 28 2/24/2013 6:28:06 PM pages [5]–[6] of his letter to Bacon for help with English (i.e., British) publications appears to have been answered, as Tiffany produced a list in The Stamp News Annual for 18941, published by Theodor Buhl in London. James Negus 3rd July 1995 The Relevance of ries a copy of what must have been Tiffany Manuscripts Tiffany’s first bookplate, which I have John Kerr Tiffany (1842–1897) was never seen published before. This is a a pioneer stamp collector and seems simple typescript design using print- to have been introduced to the hobby ers’ rules and ornaments, quite unlike while at school in Paris in the early his later, well-known bookplate based 1860s. The library of the Royal Phila- on the St. Louis Bears stamp and pro- telic Society London holds a copy of duced by the same engraver as the a Berger-Levrault catalogue2 in which original stamps. Similarly unpublished Tiffany has written John K. Tiffany, is the fact that Tiffany also had a rub- London, October. 16th ’67, showing ber stamp made to resemble his second that not only was he a stamp collector bookplate, that he could use on non- at that early date, but that he had be- book items in his library such as letters gun to acquire the first volumes of what and the like. Although his Saint Louis would become the finest and most Bears bookplate can be found, however complete philatelic library of its time. rarely, in books discarded from the li- Interestingly, this volume also car- brary when a better copy was obtained, Left: John Kerr Tiffany. Above: Tiffany’s earliest bookplate (44mm x 72mm). 2013 / Volume No. 62, 1st Quarter PLR 29 1 Birch.indd 29 2/24/2013 6:28:46 PM the rubber stamp is only known on can Philatelic Society). It was said to items retained in the library and can have been Ti any’s rm but fair guid- therefore only be found on items in the ing hand that led the Society through Crawford Library, which now reposes its early, turbulent years during which in the British Library in London. it could well have foundered under a It is interesting to speculate whether lesser leader.5 the number 9 added to the bookplate Ti any died on March 3, 1897 at the by hand indicated that this was the relatively early age of y- ve. It was ninth book he purchased or simply the his wish that his library should grace ninth book to which he had attached some suitable institution in America his bookplate. What is not in doubt is that would undertake to care for it that it does not relate to its entry in Tif- and keep it up-to-date. Unfortunately, fany’s e Philatelical Library3, where no suitable and willing organization this exact book is shown as number could be found, and in 1901 the library 404 on page 56. was purchased by Charles J. Phillips Following his European educa- on behalf of the Earl of Crawford for tion, he returned to the United States $10,000 (then £2,500) and the library and became a prominent lawyer based was moved to London.6 in St. Louis. As a philatelist he is best e Earl of Crawford (1847–1913)7 known not only for his library (on was a latecomer to philately; he never- which he based his rst book3), and for theless built up a magni cent collec- being the author of the rst important tion written up on a scienti c basis. He history of United States Postage Stamps joined the Philatelic Society, London (published in French in 1883 by J.- in 1900 and was largely instrumental B. Moens4 of Brussels), but primarily in securing for it the pre x “Royal.” as the rst President of the American On his accession to the throne in 1910, Philatelic Association (later the Ameri- King George V desired that the Earl be Left: Ti any’s well-known St. Louis Bears bookplate (83mm x 70mm). Above: Rubber stamp copy of Ti any’s St. Louis Bears bookplate (35mm x 31mm). 30 PLR Volume No. 62, 1st Quarter / 2013 1 Birch.indd 30 2/24/2013 6:29:21 PM The Earl of Crawford working in his library at Haigh Hall. elected President of the Society, a role bequeathed to the British Museum. he fulfilled until his death three years In 1973 the British Museum Library later. became the British Library, where the Like his father, the Earl was one of Crawford Library remains, kept quite the greatest bibliophiles of his age, hav- separate from the rest of the holdings. ing a major library at his home, Haigh Tiffany Manuscripts Hall, near Wigan with a staff of four It would seem likely that if Tiffany librarians to look after it. However, Tif- had produced any unpublished manu- fany’s library was installed at his Lon- scripts, they would have been sold with don residence at Cavendish Square his library. That such is the case, at least and the Earl set about bringing it up to in part, can be seen in columns 380 and date and filling the gaps. To this end, 381 of the Crawford library catalogue he employed Edward Denny Bacon where all of Tiffany’s works are listed. (1860–1938) as the curator of his li- Among these will be found no fewer brary. Bacon8 was probably the finest than three substantial, unpublished British philatelist ever. He joined the manuscripts: [Royal] Philatelic Society, London in 1880 and by the time of his death, had 1. The Postal Cards of Alsace-Lorraine, held virtually every important office Austria, Austro-Hungary, Baden, in the Society. It was Bacon who was Bavaria, Belgium, Canada, Cey- responsible for producing the monu- lon, Chili, Denmark, Dutch Indies, mental catalogue of the Earl’s philatelic Finland, France, German Confed., library.9 German Empire, Great Britain, Following the Earl’s death in 1913, Guatemala, Heligoland, Helsingfors, the philatelic portion of his library was Holland, Italy, Japan, Luxemburg, 2013 / Volume No. 62, 1st Quarter PLR 31 1 Birch.indd 31 2/24/2013 6:29:44 PM Left: Manuscript of the Postal Cards of Alsace-Lorraine, Austria, etc., ©British Library Board (Crawford 1461). Right: Manuscript of Spirits & Beer [Duty and Licence Stamps of the United States], © British Library Board (Crawford 1462). Newfoundland, New South Wales, beer duty and licence stamps of the Norway, Roumania, Russia, Serbia, United States, with a chapter on Shanghai, Spain, Sweden, Switzer- cotton marks.” land, United States, Uruguay, Tur- Dated 1880 and consisting of 106 key, Wurtemburg, A Catalog. pages, 10½ inches (26cm) in height, it Dated June 1876, it is described by actually carried the title Spirits & Beer Bacon as a holograph manuscript of and carries the Roman numeral III as if a work never published. At the end to indicate that it was the third part of is an alphabetical list of the various some series. Upon inspection, I found magazine references for each variety of this to be written on a sewn pad of card.