Mail Collection (#77)

HSET2A-00095
Pony Express rider changing horses at a relay station. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

Middlesex House of Correction, Clerkenwell, London
The Middlesex House of Correction, opened in 1794, was later known as Cold Bath Prison, then Clerkenwell Gaol. It became a debtors prison before closing in 1885

Two Post Office workers waiting for the mail train at a lineside mailbag collection and drop-off point. In the background are railway lines, signals, and a goods train

The Ford Monoplane was used for Air Mail carrying and was manufactured by a subsidiary company of the ford Motor Company. It was fitted with a 400 H.P. Liberty Engine

General Election: Confusion Worse Confounded
Three bewildered voters read the daily newspaper posters which give rather conflicting views on the status of their preferred political parties

Zip opening letterbox / W H Robinson
Post War Town planning. The new Zip opening letterbox for taking all sizes of letters. Please note: Credit must appear as (c)

Correspondence Course / W H Robinson
Learning to drive by Correspondence Course. Please note: Credit must appear as (c) Courtesy of the estate of Mrs J.C.Robinson/Pollinger Ltd/Mary Evans Picture Library

Postal Service Jubilee card - Prague, Czechoslovakia
A card celebrating the 40th anniversary (1887 - 1927) of the start of the Prague postal and telegraph service, by land and now by air too!

A new use for letterboxes 1941
Pillar box tops should serve more useful purpose than the mere protection of letters. Here, a useful cosmetic container enables every passing lady to touch up and repair her appearance

People boarding a Transair aeroplane, Vienna
A group of people boarding an aeroplane operated by Transair, in Vienna, Austria. (1 of 3)

People disembark from a Transair aeroplane
A group of people disembarking from an aeroplane operated by Transair, in Vienna, Austria. (2 of 3)

Postbox by J. A. Thorpe
A small girl (Phyllis) posts a letter while out walking the dog with her mother and says with a sudden clarity of understanding, " So thats where Aunty Mabel lives"

Life on board a man-of-war
Life in the British navy on board a man-of-war. 1. Playing up the colours, 8am; 2. A Corrobborie in the gun room on Saturday night; 3. Taking up the slops; 4

Gustav Hamel leaving Hendon for Windsor
The aviator Gustav Hamel leaving Hendon Aerodrome for Windsor on the very first airmail flight. The first aerial mail service took place on 9 September 1911 from Hendon to Windsor and back again

Andre Beaumont, winner of the Great Air Race
Andre Beaumont of the French Navy, winner of the Great Air Race, also known as the Round Britain Air Race, covering 1000 miles in five days (22-26 July). Twenty pilots took part

Jules Vedrines, second in Great Air Race
Jules Charles Toussaint Vedrines (1881-1919), French aviator who came a close second in the Great Air Race, also known as the Round Britain Air Race, covering 1000 miles in five days (22-26 July)

Belgium - Port of Ostende
Port of Ostende, Belgium. The mailship ferry departs the harbour as young boys fish off the pier, while others just lean on the railings watching the ships disappear into the North Sea

Sorting Mail
Sorting mail at the post office at the turn of the century

The Postal Team at a regional depot
Royal Mail employees, from the directors to postmen, pose for a group photograph at a regional post depot, alongside a post box and a fleet of postal vans. Photograph by Heinz Zinram

Poster advertising Messageries Maritimes, French mail service steamships to Australia, Indochina, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, Brazil and Argentina

Sir Rowland Hill - Postal Reformer
Sir Rowland Hill (1795-1879) - English postal reformer - introduced the penny post

Christmas Post by Ethel Parkinson
A woman, accompanied by a small girl, posts a rather large stash of Christmas cards off to lots of lucky recipients

Crimean war John Bythsea & William Johnstone
During the Crimean War, Commander John Bythsea (or Bythesea) and Stoker William Johnstone seize the Russian mail and despatches from five Russian soldiers in order to intercept important messages

Poster advertising Norway via Royal Mail
Poster for the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, advertising trips to Norway and northern capitals. Luxury cruises on the SS Arcadian

Italian Airmail Warehouse
View of an Italian Airmail Warehouse (Aero Espresso Italiana) with a British seaplane. Photograph by Ralph Ponsonby Watts

Grahame-White and Lady Northcliffe at Hendon
The aviator Claude Grahame-White (1879-1959) with Lady Northcliffe at Hendon before the Great Air Race (probably the air race sponsored by the Daily Mail in 1910)

Coaling a Royal Mail steam packet at Kingston, Jamaica
Scene at the harbour in Kingston, Jamaica, showing lines a women carrying baskets of coal on their heads on board a Royal Mail steam packet ship

India - Pigeon Post envelope
A Pigeon Post envelope used to send a message to Vice Admiral Herbert Fitzherbert CB C.M.G from Kalyan to Bombay (a distance of thirty miles)

Foundering of the Union Companys Mail Steam-Ship American
This image depicts the loss of the steam ship American which sunk near Cape Palmas on 23rd April 1880

Womens Volunteer Reserve 1916
Womens Volunteer Reserve driving the Royal Mail during World War I. Here being given engine instruction in November 1916

Charleville, Queensland, 1908
Country Mail Stagecoach leaving the Charleville Post Office in Queensland, Australia

Accomplishments on the Mail Order System
A promising young studend of the Correspondence College for Skating taking the first course. Please note: Credit must appear as Courtesy of the Estate of Mrs J.C.Robinson/Pollinger Ltd/ILN/Mary Evans

Christmas mail arriving in the trenches 1916
Front cover photograph from The Sphere, December 1916 showing a joyful soldier in a trench laden with Christmas parcels

Quarantine Precautions
passengers washing their clothes on board the royal Mail companys steamer Neva, off Buenos Aires, by order of the health officer

Bombed Train
Polish insurgents raid a mail- train at Rogoff on the Vienna- Warsaw railway, seizing money from the border customs tolls

The Sea Messenger, 1870
Engraving of the Sea Messenger, a lifeboat designed for ships letters and papers, invented by J.A.R. Vandenbergh. As many ships carried mail and state papers

West Country mail carriages in Piccadilly
Horse-drawn carriages from the West Country bringing mail to the Gloucester Coffee House, Piccadilly, London

SS Ireland, 1885
Engraving of the City of Dubin Steam-Packet Companys Mail Paddle Steamship Ireland, shortly after its launch, 1885. This ship, built in the Laird Shipyard at Birkenhead

Sorting mail on a train
Illustration by Ernest Prater showing male postal workers aboard a London and North-Western train sorting mail

Royal Mail departure from the General Post Office
Colour illustration showing horse-drawn Royal Mail carriages departing from the General Post Office, London

The Crew of the Pandora Recovering Mail from the Cairn on
Engraving showing the crew of the ship Pandora recovering mail, left by the British Arctic Expedition of 1875, from the cairn on top of Carey Island

After-Deck of the RMS Asia, 1850
Engraving of the after-deck of Cunard Line Royal Mail Paddle-steamer Asia at sea, 1850. Asia was the largest steamship yet built on the River Clyde

Last horse-drawn mail van
The last horse drawn mail van, Peter, leaving K.E.B on Saturday 24th September 1949. In the background are the still bomb-damaged streets of the St. Pauls area of London. Date: 24th September 1949

Deck of a Mail Steamer in the Red Sea, 1872
Engraving showing the forecastle of a mail steamer at night, in the Red Sea, 1872. The oppressive heat of the area has driven some of the crew and passengers to sleep on the front deck of the ship

The First Penny Post from England to America, 1908
Photographs and Illustrations showing the first mail service to operate between England and America for the price of a penny. At top left, photograph of the Royal Mail Van at Waterloo Station

Sorting room at the General Post Office
Engraving from 1875, showing the sorting room of the General Post Office with workers (all male) stamping and sorting mail

SS Great Western in a Heavy Gale, North Atlantic, 1846
Engraving showing the Steamship Great Western being struck amidships in a gale during a crossing from Liverpool to New York in 1846

RMS Forth, 1849
Engraving of the Royal Mail Steam-Packet Companys paddle-steamer Forth. Built in Leith in 1841, the Forth went missing between Southampton and the West Indies early in 1841

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"Journey through Time: Unveiling the Fascinating World of Mail" Poster, Night Mail: Step into the enchanting realm delivery as this captivating poster takes you on a nocturnal adventure. Daily Mail War Map, WW1: Explore the pivotal role played by mail during World War I through this historical artifact that provided vital information to soldiers and civilians alike. Poster advertising Royal Mail Lines to the West Indies: Immerse yourself in the allure of tropical destinations as this vintage poster beckons you to embark on a voyage with Royal Mail Lines. Union-Castle Line poster: Discover the elegance and grandeur associated with oceanic travel as depicted in this striking Union-Castle Line advertisement. Lancastria Steamship: Delve into a tragic yet significant chapter in mail history aboard the Lancastria Steamship, which met an unfortunate fate during World War II while carrying precious correspondence. South America by Royal Mail: Embark on an exotic journey across South America facilitated by Royal Mail's efficient postal services, connecting distant lands and cultures. Union-Castle: Experience unparalleled luxury and comfort aboard Union-Castle ships as they transported mail across vast oceans, bridging continents and fostering global connections. Lincoln, New Mexico, United States - Old mailbox at the Lincoln post office: Witness a piece of Americana history preserved within an old mailbox from Lincoln's post office—a testament to how mail has served communities for generations. The Great Train Robbery aftermath & reportage, 1963: Uncover one of Britain's most infamous crimes where stolen mail took center stage—explore its aftermath and subsequent media coverage that captivated audiences worldwide. Clan Macdonald RMS Caronia - Cunard Line : Relive opulent transatlantic voyages aboard RMS Caronia under Cunard Line's impeccable service—an era when mail delivery was intertwined with luxury travel.