A letter posted on May 6 1840 - a first day cover of the Penny Black. With kind permission of the BPMA © Royal Mail Group plc
The British Postal Museum and Archive (BPMA) has made the world’s most extensive collection of Victorian stamps and postal history available online, thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).
The project, titled The Penny Black That Changed The World, now means the R M Phillips Collection, a priceless collection of albums that illustrate the history and development of the postage stamp during the Victorian era, has been completely digitised.
More than two thousand images, including Penny Black stamps, early envelopes, postmarks and dozens of other designs can now be seen by a global audience at www.postalheritage.org.uk/phillips
With kind permission of the BPMA © Royal Mail Group plc
“The importance of the Phillips Collection to the understanding of postal history is incalculable, and I am delighted that the albums can now be enjoyed around the world by anyone who loves stamps or Victorian design,” said Douglas Muir, BPMA Curator of Philately.
Reginald Phillips gave his collection to the nation in 1965; at that time it was valued at approximately £275,000 and today it is said to be priceless. All 45 albums are now accessible online, preserving the original volumes for future generations.
Issued in 1840, the Penny Black was the world’s first ever adhesive postage stamp, and it has influenced the design of stamps ever since. The final design was actually picked from a wealth of entries to a public competition, many of which are included in the Phillips Collection.
The success of the Penny Black signified the beginning of uniform penny postage in Britain, a social reform which really did change the world.
An art project held at a school as part of Penny Black Changed the World. With kind permission of the BPMA © Royal Mail Group plc
An education pack has also been launched that helps children and teachers explore postal progress as a novel way into the study of Victorian history at Key Stage 2.
With activity sheets for pupils, and lesson plans and notes for teachers, this free pack has already been used to introduce over 400 pupils to social reformer Rowland Hill and his idea that a letter could be sent anywhere in Britain for one penny.
“This was no less a communications revolution than text messages and email today,” said Libby Buckley, Head of Access and Learning at the BPMA. “Stamps seem to be such simple things, so it is fantastic to be able to reveal their hidden history to a new generation. They are miniature works of art, and deserve a second look.”
The little stamp is generally credited with being the catalyst for mass communication and for changing the lives of millions of people. The Penny Black’s impact can be judged by the amount of letters that were delivered by the fledgling mail system of the time.
The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp. With kind permission of the BPMA © Royal Mail Group plc
In 1840 the number of letters dramatically doubled to 160 million in less than a year. When Queen Victoria died in 1901, this had grown to a staggering 2.3 billion.
As well as being available online, The Phillips Collection can be viewed at the BPMA Search Room in central London. A boxed education pack with full colour facsimile documents is available free by emailing info@postalheritage.org.uk, or you can download from www.postalheritage.org.uk/pennyblack
