The Tony Dewey Collection of Hartford Postal History

The Tony Dewey Collection of Hartford Postal History is not so much the story of Hartford, Connecticut, per se, but rather the story of the United States as told through the lens of one specific city. From the American Revolution to the Civil War, the introduction of adhesive stamps, competition between government and private post offices, the proliferation of transatlantic mail, the development of the railroads—essentially, if it was happening in America it was happening in Hartford, and Tony Dewey’s collection masterfully tells those stories though high-quality and rare material. We invite you to take a trip through Hartford’s history with us, but most importantly we want you to think about how these and similar stories can be told through your own hometown, wherever that may be.

The Story of Hartford

The story of Hartford begins long before the invention of adhesive postage stamps. This letter, sent in the final years of the 18th Century, demonstrates how the postal rate (in this case 121⁄2 cents) was written directly onto the letter itself, meaning each piece of mail had to be taken to the post office counter. Prior to the 1840s postage rates were complex and expensive, limiting mail to the wealthy and educated.

The introduction of adhesive postage stamps in 1847 was nothing short of revolutionary. Patrons could now purchase stamps in advance and deposit mail whenever was most convenient. This letter shows one of America's first postage stamps used from Hartford just several months after it was issued.

In the middle of the 19th Century, the United States government had a fickle relationship with private companies that carried mail. Sometimes these firms worked in direct competition to the Post Office, while in the case of the Hartford Penny Post a symbiotic relationship was developed whereby mail could be delivered directly to your door.

The onset of the Civil War in 1861 led to major changes taking place within the United States Post Office. Stamps printed before the Civil War were replaced with new designs, so that these older stamps could not circulate as currency within the Confederacy. The sender of this envelope attempted to use a pre-Civil War stamp but was stopped by the Hartford post office, where a new stamp was applied.

Many citizens of Connecticut were quick to illustrate their patriotism, quite literally, with envelopes bearing various pro-Union designs. This envelope, showing a soldier with an American flag, was produced in Hartford by a coin dealer who decided to enter the envelope business shortly after the Civil War began.

As the 19th Century progressed the world grew smaller and smaller, with direct lines of communication to all corners of the globe spreading rapidly.This letter, which cost 45 cents to send when it was mailed in 1862, was carried to Kanagawa, Japan by way of London and Hong Kong. Such pieces of mail also demonstrate the rapid commercial growth in Hartford at the time.

In 1869 the United States issued their most controversial postage stamps as yet. While praised today for their beauty, the "Pictorial Issue" was the first to not feature only busts of prominent Americans, instead including locomotives and eagles. The fact that they were only used for about 13 months makes this envelope to Sweden all the more remarkable.

No history of Hartford would be complete without a mention of the city’s most famous resident, Samuel L. Clemens (known by his nom de plume, Mark Twain). This envelope was sent to James R. Osgood, the publisher responsible for The Prince and the Pauper and Life on the Mississippi. After low sales of the latter, Clemens terminated their relationship.

The history of the post cannot be told solely through letters and envelopes. Other publications, from newspapers and price lists to this beautiful almanac from the Hartford Courant were also eligible to pass through the mail. The postage rates for these sorts of items were typically much lower than normal letter mail; for example, although this almanac weighed almost two ounces it cost just 1 cent to be mailed within Hartford.