However, it must be pointed out that the credit of the first prepaid postal stationery should in truth be given to Italy because some twenty-one years earlier (1819) the Kingdom of Sardinia Old days mail and documents issued, for the first time in man’s history, watermarked letter sheets - place us on the tracks “stamped letter paper” as it was called of the English living and then, later on called “cavallini” (little sojourning in Papal Rome horses) by collectors. On the outer part of the letter sheets was printed in blue ink a device designed by mint engraver Amedeo Lavy featuring a cherub riding a horse and blowing a All collectors have a dream or, posthorn; below this charming allegory possibly, many dreams. One of mine was the tariff in centesimi which “NON ANGLI came true when I finally laid my varied depending on the destination’s hands on a magnificent “Mulready” distance from the point of departure 1 sent to an addressee in Rome, (15, 25 and 50c). This was a provisional SED ANGELI ” then capital of the Papal States. issue, while the embossing punches Philatelists who collect and study with similar designs and tariffs were postal history of the Papal States can prepared for the 1820 issue. Even They are easily attest to the special pleasure, though technically the “Cavallini” are not to say frissons, felt by owning a not the same as adhesive postage great “gem” of the philatelic world: stamps and Mulready envelopes the not Angles, a Rome-bound Mulready envelope reasoning for their creation is basically or more simply the first ever prepaid the same because it would seem postal stationery issued concurrently that the British had understood the but Angels with the world’s first adhesive practical aspects of the “Cavallini” postage stamps (1d and 2d) on that and had improved and fine-tuned Thomas Mathà momentous 6 May 1840. the concept. Beyond their affinities, Bolzano, Italy “Cavallini” and Mulready envelopes Fig. 1 and 2: Coelebs in search have something else in common: a of a Mulready Envelope, 1865. good portion of the public did not George Louis Palmella Busson Du Maurier (British, 1834-1896). quite understand their purpose and therefore they were short-lived. Nevertheless, during the course of time, both innovations enjoyed a tremendous success, even though they were far ahead of their times. Let us take one step at a time. 1 Non angli sed angeli, 573 AD, legendary motto of the future Pope Gregory, it referred to the English slaves at the Roman forum. It is the first documented mention of the presence of English in Rome. 69 The Mulready envelope is a veritable jewel of world hesitation on the part of the public and very few individuals philately. The very inventors of the first-ever postage stamp ventured to use such envelopes and letter-sheets for created the Mulready envelope because they had many correspondence to foreign destinations; when you add doubts about the general public acceptance of adhesive these considerations to their short life you can appreciate postage stamps and therefore provided an alternative that Mulready postal stationery to destinations other than choice. They thought that a prepaid postage envelope was the United Kingdom is pretty scarce and highly sought a stroke of genius as far as postal communications was after2. concerned. Yet, they were wrong: from the very beginning Try to figure out what effect a Mulready envelope would the postage stamp won the public’s favour bringing the have had on an addressee outside the United Kingdom! It Mulready to a standstill. As a result, in due course, the postal looked like an actual ambassador of Great Britain. Since authorities decided to discontinue the sale of the prepaid the Mulready postal stationery was introduced as an Mulready envelopes. It is difficult for us to understand why alternative to adhesive postage stamps its use was mostly such a visually attractive item which offered undeniable limited to domestic correspondence. The idea of using it practicality proved unconvincing to its contemporaries, in for correspondence to foreign countries, which in many spite of the fact that the illustrations of the address side instances required the use of additional postage stamps, had been created by William Mulready – one of the most must have looked unattractive and somewhat complicated. important artists of the time. Even the father of the 1840 It is easy to speculate that anyone who sent a letter to a postal reform Rowland Hill wrote in his diary: “I fear we foreign country utilising a Mulready envelope must have shall have to substitute some other stamp for that design by had a very good reason, such as surprising the addressee Mulready ... the public have shown their disregard and even with an unusual wrapping of the letter-sheet. This seems a distaste for beauty.” reasonable conjecture to which we will return later. The Mulready postal stationery envelopes were available One penny Mulready envelopes sent to foreign destinations in two formats: unfolded letter-sheets and unfolded are decidedly uncommon, and only five sent to Italy have envelopes; and in two denominations 1d (printed in been so far recorded3: black) for domestic use throughout the United Kingdom 1. 1d Mulready mailed on its first day of use (6 May 1840) (maximum weight: ½ ounce) and 2d (printed in blue; to an addressee in Rome from where it was re-routed maximum weight: 1 ounce). These splendid predecessors to Florence; of what is usually described as “postal stationery” were 2. 1d Mulready mailed on 22 May 1840 to an addressee in meant for domestic use, although 2d letter-sheets Florence4; vertical margins provided succinct information on posting 3. 1d Mulready mailed on 1 June 1840 (ex Wills collection Mulready letter-sheets and envelopes bound for colonial or and ex Pitlochry collection5) featured in this article; foreign destinations, in which case they required additional 4. 1d Mulready mailed on 25 June 1840 (address side only), franking using properly positioned (at the top) adhesive to an addressee in Naples; postage stamps. 5. 1d Mulready mailed on 20 June 1840 to an addressee in As mentioned earlier, the Mulready stationery generated Chiavenna6 (folded inside). 2 Huggins, Alan and Holyoake, Alan, The Mulready Postal Stationery. Its Genesis, Production and Usage. GB Philatelic Publications Ltd, Sutton Coldfield, 2015. 3 My thanks go to Karl Louis, AIEP expert for Great Britain, who has kindly provided this information from his archive. 4 The Louis Grunin, Great Britain, The Mulready. Spink Auctions, 2.4.1998, Lot 173. Fig. 3: Mulready from London to Rome 1840 5 Huggins/Holyoake, The Mulready Postal Stationery, cit., p. 115. 6 The Louis Grunin, Great Britain, The Mulready. Spink Auctions, 2.4.1998, Lot 174. (address side and reverse). 70 01_POST HORN Fig. 5: Nicholas Wiseman Fig. 4: Small map (source: The Venerable English College, of the Old Italian States (1830). A short history and guide, p. 54). Let’s return to the number 3 Mulready which is an envelope twenty years of closure caused by Wiseman was appointed pro- (Stereo on reverse A 142): posted in London (backstamped the Napoleonic occupation of the vicar Apostolic of the London in green ink by Portugal Street post office). From there it Italian peninsula. In 1824, Wiseman District; in 1850, after Pius IX re- goes to the General Post Office where it is struck by a B/ completed his formative education established the Catholic hierarchy PAID/1 JUNE/1840 date-stamp. This Mulready is pre-paid in Rome earning a doctorate in in England, Wiseman was elevated to the Franco-Tuscan border as witnessed by the faintly theology with distinction and the to the cardinalate, on 7 October; hand-written “P 1/7” at top center left, meaning P(aid) 1 following year he was ordained to in a pastoral to English Catholics shilling 7 pence. the priesthood. He had acquired he announced that he had been The British courier handed it over to the French counterparts great fluency in the Italian language appointed by the Pope the newly- at Calais as confirmed by the red French entry circle date- and had a keen interest in Oriental created Cardinal Archbishop of stamp at lower right ANGL./2/CALAIS/2 - 3 JUIN 40. From languages which in due course Westminster. Wiseman was a prolific there it goes to Lyon and in due course to the Franco- would earn him the post of professor writer with a number of important Italian border where it was stamped with the Kingdom of Our Mulready’s addressee is Nicholas of Oriental languages in the Roman books and treatises to his credit; Sardinia entry hand-stamp VIA DI/ P.T BEAUVOISIN at top Wiseman, at the time Rector of the University. In 1828, when he was his most famous book is the 1854 right hand-side. English College. The future Cardinal only 26 years of age, Wiseman was romance of “Fabiola or the Church Then, it proceeds to Chambery and descends the Alps was born in 1802 in Seville from appointed Rector of the Venerable of the Catacombs” which met with transiting in Turin from where it heads south to Genoa. parents of Irish descent who had English College. His tenure as a phenomenal success and was The Rome-bound Mulready is placed in Tuscany’s mailbag Our interest for this fascinating document does not end recently moved to Spain; after Rector has been described as “the subsequently translated into many which is opened at destination in Florence; the Mulready here. As luck would have it this Mulready envelope was the death of his father in 1805 he golden age of the College8”, in fact languages.