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The Story of Advertising Through the Post

Introduction

This display will show how advertisers have used the post over the last three centuries to tell people about the goods they manufacture and sell, or the services they offer to the public. Advertising of this nature was often carried out at little or no cost to the advertisers, and they sometimes even made a profit.

The display will show how this type of advertising started and how it developed, adapting to changes in technology and the development of the postal service. It will also show that this type of advertising has continued unabated ever since.

There is a strong emphasis on stamped postal stationery.

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Frame 1

  1. Mulready Advertisements: English and Scottish Law Fire and Life Assurance
  2. Mulready Advertisements: Clerical, Medical, and General Life Assurance
  3. Mulready Advertisements: London, Edinburgh and Dublin Life Assurance Company
  4. Mulready Advertisements: Edinburgh Life Assurance Company
  5. Mulready Advertisements: TC Bates Organ and Pianoforte Manufacturers
  6. Mulready Advertisements: Milton Press Printing Establishments
  7. Mulready Advertisements: Josiah Lawrence watches and clocks
  8. Mulready Advertisements: Charles Turner polshes and varnishes
  9. Mulready Advertisements: Atlas Assurance Company
  10. Mulready Advertisements: Mirror of Parliament
  11. Mulready Advertisements: Charles Hale, Music Seller to Her Majesty
  12. Mulready Advertisements: Family Endowment Society
  13. Mulready Advertisements: Scottish Provident Institution
  14. Mulready Advertisements: Northern Reversion Company
  15. Mulready Advertisements: Cheltenham Fete Fireworks
  16. Mulready Advertisements: Opiniions of the Press
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Frame 2

  1. Mulready Advertisements: Envelope Office
  2. Mulready Advertisements: Envelope Office
  3. Mulready Advertisements: Envelope Office
  4. Mulready Advertisements: Envelope Select Advertiser
  5. Mulready Advertisements: Hallets Postage Advertiser
  6. Mulready Advertisements: Sloper's Commercial Postage Advertiser
  7. Mulready Advertisements: West of England Monthly Postage Advertiser
  8. Mulready Advertisements: Hallets Postage Advertiser
  9. Mulready Advertisements: Jell's General and Commercial Envelope
  10. 1d pink 1844: Owen Richards Law Books
  11. 1d pink 1844: Atlas Assurance Company
  12. Mulready Advertisements: Mulready 2d lettersheets
  13. Stocken (stationer) internal advert
  14. Nissen and Parker (stationers) internal advert
  15. Solicitors Benevolent Association internal advert
  16. Spooner's No 9 and 10 Mulready caricature envelopes
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Frame 3

  1. ½d orange STO: Alfred Smith
  2. ½d orange STO: Bluemel and Morris Beef
  3. ½d orange STO: Quaker Oats and Farnley Iron
  4. ½d orange STO: L'Estrage Ewen Stamps, Price's Candles, Taylor Bros Cocoa
  5. Detroit Free Press and Venetian Blinds
  6. ½d orange STO: Cresswell Bros Schmitz and Sun Insurance Office
  7. ½d orange/green STO: Blundell Spence and Carron Company
  8. ½d orange/green STO: Price's Candles and Dodds and Stow
  9. ½d orange STO: Cadbury's Cocoa and Moore's Malt Vinegar
  10. ½d orange/green STO: Edward Haly and HG Hanson
  11. 1d pink: John Warner Bellmakers and Cadbury Brothers
  12. 1d pink: Samuel Mason Medals and Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Co
  13. 1d pink: Wellington Knife Polish
  14. 1d pink: James Dole, Ham and Bacon Curer and Price's Candles
  15. 1d pink: Price's Candles and Wright, Layman and Umney, Druggists
  16. 1d pink: Quaker Oats and Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Co
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Frame 4

  1. 1d pink: Anglo-Colonial Letter Co Ltd lettersheet
  2. 1d pink: Half-penny Letter Post Co Ltd lettersheet
  3. 1d pink: Half-penny Letter Post Co Ltd lettersheet
  4. 1d pink: Half-penny Letter Post Co Ltd lettersheet
  5. 2½d blue: Odams Manures and JS Fry and Sons
  6. Alfred Smith and Co
  7. ½d postcards: Wallis and Stevens's Seed Drill Barrow and Henry Bacchus Lawn Mower Repairs
  8. 1d pink: John Dickinson and John Oakey
  9. Alfred Smith and Son (2)
  10. Alfred Smith and Son (3)
  11. Advertising Postcards
  12. Salt and Bells
  13. Cook and Sons 2½d STO envelopes in claret and grey
  14. ½d mauve postcards: advertisements on backs
  15. ½d mauve postcards: advertisements for medals
  16. ½d brown postcards: advertisements on backs
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Frame 5

  1. ½d brown reply postcard: Rose and Co, Provisions Merchants
  2. ½d green postcards: thin and stout
  3. ½d brown newspaper wrappers
  4. ½d postcards: coloured printing on backs
  5. 1d red single and reply cards 1892-5
  6. ½d brown postcards: five colour printing
  7. ½d brown postcards: advertisements on front
  8. ½d brown postcards: Cast iron
  9. ½d postcards: representatives cards with office illustrations
  10. Farthing Letter Card Company
  11. Clothing advertisements
  12. William Rowe Sailor Costume and National Liberal Land Company
  13. ½d green postcards: Maple and Co and Stimson and Sons
  14. ½d brown reply card: Pure Indian Tea
  15. ½d brown PO newspaper wrappers privately overprinted
  16. ½d PO newspaper wrappers privately overprinted: Salts Summer Sale
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Frame 6

  1. ½d brown newspaper wrappers: Crosse & Blackwells and Harris
  2. ½d dark green STO KEVII: James Mills and John Oakey
  3. ½d dark green STO KEVII: Anglo-Swiss Condesnsed Milk Co and Burgoyne, Burbridges
  4. ½d newspaper wrappers QV and KEVII
  5. ½d newspaper wrappers QV: Crowther's Ink and Ivy Soap
  6. ½d yellow-green STO KEVII: Motoring adverts
  7. ½d blue-green STO KEVII: Home hardware adverts on reverse
  8. ½d brown newspaper wrapper 1893 – builder's advert on inside
  9. ½d green STO QV: Venus Night Lights and Faudel, Phillips
  10. ½d blue-green STO and PO KEVII: Cresswell Brothers and Joseph Prime
  11. ½d yellow-green STO KEVII: Quaker Oats (coloured) and Price's Candles
  12. ½d brown newspaper wrapper QV: Faudel, Phillips and Flageolet
  13. ½d brown, ½d green, 1d brown newspaper wrappers: G.Harding & Sons and Price's Candles
  14. ½d blue-green STO KEVII: Cresswell Brothers and Williams Brothers
  15. ½d yellow-green STO KEVII: Price's Candles and Sun Insurance
  16. ½d yellow-green STO KEVII: Price's Candles and Hernu, Peron
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Frame 7

  1. ½d yellow-green STO KEVII: window envelopes
  2. ½d green and 2½d grey STO: Cresswell Brothers and Fry & Sons
  3. 1d red STO EVII: M.D.Foster and James Buchanan
  4. ½d yellow-green STO KEVII: Horniman's Digestive Tea and Watts Safety Razor
  5. ½d yellow-green STO KEVII: John Oakey & Sons
  6. John Oakey & Sons invoice
  7. 1d red STO KEVII: Price's Candles and Fry & Sons
  8. 2½d and 1d STO KEVII: Fry & Sons
  9. ½d yellow-green STO KEVII: W.Williams & Sons and Gibbs Cold Cream soap (coloured)
  10. ½d green STO KEVII: Glass and steel manufacturers
  11. 1d red STO KEVII: Fry & Sons and Carr's Cream Crackers
  12. 2½d grey STO KEVII: Mabie Todd pens and Baxter & Sons fish merchants
  13. ½d yellow-green STO KEVII: Blundell Spence and Wrights Coal Tar Soap
  14. 1d red STO KEVII: Price's Candles and Joseph Fison & Co
  15. 1d red STO KEVII: John Oakey & Sons and Blundell Spence
  16. 4d orange STO KEVII parcel post labels: James Carter seeds and Whitfield King
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Frame 8

  1. ½d yellow-green STO KEVII: Army & Navy Stores
  2. ½d STO PCs (2)
  3. ½d & 1d advert cards
  4. ½d green 1913 (2)
  5. ½d green 1904 adverts (2)
  6. ½d large stout STO 1909 (2)
  7. 1d picture pc STO 1911 (1)
  8. Advert Envelopes
  9. ½d green 1909 (2)
  10. ½d advert PCs (2)
  11. ½d green wrappers STO 1902 (2)
  12. ½d green window (3)
  13. ½d A&N & Blundell 1902 (2)
  14. ½d large stout STO 1905 (2)
  15. Cross & Blackwell wprs
  16. ½d green window 1922 (2)
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Frame 9

  1. window envs (3)
  2. advert envs (3)
  3. Advertising envs
  4. ½d Oakey & Ogden (2)
  5. Norsemen & Frys (2)
  6. Field Day & Quaker (2)
  7. ½d advert envs (2)
  8. ½d green window 1913 (3)
  9. Ovaltine & Eiffel (2)
  10. Colmans + Prices (2)
  11. ½d & 2d STO envs
  12. ½d Pratt & Dents (2)
  13. Coals & Lamb (2)
  14. Prices Candles
  15. ½d green window 1922 (2)
  16. ½d envs Prices & Pontings
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Frame 10

  1. ½d Pontings & Barclay (2)
  2. 2d advert envs (2)
  3. PO pcs (2)
  4. 1d advertising ltrcds
  5. ½d green window 1922 (3)
  6. ½d thin 1911 (2)
  7. ½d advert cards (2)
  8. 1d red lettercard 1911 (2)
  9. 1½d envs Swan & Ty-phoo
  10. ½d STO reply (1)
  11. ½d embossed (3)
  12. 1½d lettercard HAG Coffee mint
  13. 1d red Clayton & Oakey (2)
  14. Printed matter cards (2)
  15. ½d pcs
  16. Postcard & Lettercard adverts
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Frame 11

  1. Tropical Life & Ferodo (2)
  2. 1d red Gas & Whitbread (2)
  3. ½d 1d 2d & 2½d envs (4)
  4. 1½d green STO (2)
  5. Invinc + Bloms (2)
  6. 1½d advert envs (3)
  7. 1½d STO envs (3)
  8. Thirsk & Selby (2)
  9. Gas & Worthington (2)
  10. Colmans & Ruby (2)
  11. 1d red & 2½d blue Oakey (2)
  12. 1½d green Choc (2)
  13. Arduro & Higgins (2)
  14. ½d window envs (2)
  15. 1d red window 1940 (2)
  16. Advert envs
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Frame 12

  1. 2d STO envs (3)
  2. 3d advert cvrs (4)
  3. 2½d+1½d & 3d+1d (2)
  4. 9 mail
  5. 2d & 2½d Phillips Shoes (2)
  6. 4d English S & 4d Rowntree (2)
  7. STO npr wrps (3)
  8. Radio Times + P&O
  9. 2d & 3d envs (3)
  10. 2d Rowntree & Stampex (2)
  11. Dual stamp n'wprs (3)
  12. Bordeau Direct & Halifax
  13. 3d violet Castrol & Esso 1957 (3)
  14. 2½d + ½d & 1½d advert PCs (2)
  15. Bristol & West + Thermaglaze
  16. Post Office & Nationwide