Victorian Innovation
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Queen Victoria came to the throne on 20 June 1837. Her reign lasted for the rest of the 19th century until her death in January 1901.
The Victorian entrepreneurial spirit and engineering genius made this an era of great innovation. This was particularly true in postal affairs. In Victorian Innovation, we focus on the Postage Stamp, Postal Innovations, and Revolutions in Postal Transport. There is also a timeline of Victorian postal history on the next page.
The Postage Stamp
1. Rowland Hill & postal reform
2. The Treasury competition
3. The Penny Black
4. Stamp printing & perforations
Postal Innovations
1. Envelopes: the Mulready design
2. Envelope-making machines
3. Postcards
4. Post Office Savings Bank & Postal Orders
Revolutions in Postal Transport
1. Carriage of mail by rail
2. The Travelling Post Office (TPO)
3. Steamships across the Atlantic
4. Parcel Post
This online slideshow gives a flavour of the treasures from the BPMA collections. You can also get in-depth information by downloading the complete exhibition brochure:
Victorian Innovation exhibition brochure (PDF, 409KB)
This exhibition is part of our Heritage Lottery Fund project The Penny Black Changed the World.
Victorian Innovation commemorative cover
To mark the exhibition we have produced our first ever commemorative cover, available to buy in the online Shop.
