Mim Golub Scalin: 153 year old French letter with British approval

[Dean aka Artist in Seine]

Simple yet WOW.  An old Paris map (doesn't have the velib (bicycle) stations, and a 153 year old letter in French.  Not to be mistaken for a French Letter. Yes you can google it.

   The letter in French was stamped in Newcastle on Tyne, UK (where Val comes from) on March 13, 1860.  Amazing how the two go together so well.

Thank you Mim, material do matter.

[Mim Golub Scalin]

Amazing, how a simple collage of only 2 scraps of paper, can generate such conversation. Val, I can't believe I fooled you! Glad you all like this one. Thanks for posting it Dean.

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Well, I was fooled, but then I am a fool. Val

[Dean aka Artist in Seine]

And very tricky.  Good One.

[Claire (aka Cleo)]

Very nice!

[Mim Golub Scalin]

Hah! I added the Newcastle frank with a rubber stamp replica of the real thing! I think it worked nicely with the old paper. The French "letter" is a receipt and is actually dated 1902. The map is from a very old, no date shown anywhere, book of the plan of Paris. I thought this was a good portion to send to you since you've probably biked those streets, Dean. I like that my collage created a lot of interest! I enjoyed reading the comments.

[Valentine Mark Herman]

PiPiS: Boris Bikes were not in London in 1853. Penny-Farthing bikes were.

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Bonjour! La Poste, the French Post Office/PS writes:

This isn't a postage stamp. It's a frank that was added to the envelope, most likely when it arrived in the UK from France, or a French-speaking country. It is not possible to read the address, so where it was to be delivered to is unknown. Assuming that it was posted in France, it's route would have been:

i) to the main sorting office inParis, and then to a Channel port by rail

ii) across the Channel by boat

iii) to the main sorting office in London, by rail, (where it was probably franked)

iv) to Newcastle by rail (where it was franked)

v) delivery to it's ultimate address*

Regards, M le Directeur

 

*PS it was not delivered to VMH, who lived (but that was in 1960, not 1860) in Darlington, County Durham, and not Newcastle-upon-Tyne in Northumbeland. The two places are (reasonably) geographically close, both being in the North East of England, but culturally, socially and economically very different -- then and now.

[vizma bruns]

Oh really Dean, I'm not surprised that nobody has commented here...

What did Dick Emery say waaaay back when..? "You ARE awful, but I like you"?!!