Page 70 - Charles Shreve - William H Gross United States 1847 Issue

B. Auxiliary Postal Services British Isles
4. Forwarded Mail Early Usage of the Sjt

Earliest recorded usage fi-om Philadelphia, PA

The Philadelphia, PA postmaster received 200 5~ and 50 10~ sheets on July 7, 1847.

JU 14, 1847, Dusseldorf, Prussia to Boston, MA via London and carried on the
Cunard packet Caledonia (Liverpool June 19- Boston July 4) and Philadelphia, PA Quly 6 not 16). e

Sent to either Aachen or Cologne, Germany from where it went by closed mail through Belgium to London and on to
Philadelphia. Postage to the US port was prepaid at Dusseldorf as indicated by the "P." in oval. Prussian credit of 22d.
to Britain for the Belgian transit, British transit, and the ocean postage.

In Philadelphia the letter was rated 12~ due (10~ > 300 miles to Boston and 2~ ship's fee) . At Philadelphia, the forwarding
agent re-addressed the letter to Boston and added a 5~ 1847. The letter was underpaid 5~ thus the "Due 5" endorsement.

The Jvriter of the letter, artist Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze (1816-1868), is renowned for his iconic US hiJ'Iorit·paintings.
Two of these, 'Columbus in Chains' (1842) and Washington Crossing the Delaware' (1851 ), have been used as deJigns
for the $2 Columbian (189 3) stamp and the American Bit-entennial 24/ souvenir sheet (19 7 6).