A privately hand-delivered cover from Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby (1826–1893) to Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881). The cover is prominently marked “Private” and addressed in manuscript to: “Right Hon. B. Disraeli” with the sender’s autograph “Derby” at the lower left. According to the documentation accompanying the item, the cover may be dated to c.1869–1876: Edward Henry Stanley succeeded as 15th Earl of Derby in 1869, while Disraeli was created Earl of Beaconsfield in 1876. The documentation further records that the cover was privately hand-delivered rather than sent through the postal system. The 15th Earl of Derby was a prominent British statesman and son of Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, the three-time British Prime Minister. He served as Foreign Secretary in 1866–1868 and again from 1874 under Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, remaining in that office until 1878. The reverse bears the distinctive blue Derby/Stanley family seal, incorporating a crowned “D” and the family motto “Sans Changer.” An interesting Victorian autograph and political-history item documenting a direct personal connection between the 15th Earl of Derby and Benjamin Disraeli, particularly significant in view of Derby’s service as Foreign Secretary in Disraeli’s government from 1874.
Auction 01: Auction 01 – Historical Letters, Documents & Autographs — Melis Antiques & Art