An historical 1854 cover from Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby (1799–1869), one of the leading Conservative statesmen of Victorian Britain and three-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The cover was sent in 1854, between Lord Derby’s first premiership in 1852 and his return to office as Prime Minister in 1858. It therefore dates from an interesting interval in his political career, after he had already served as Prime Minister and before two further premierships. The cover is addressed in manuscript to a recipient at: 65 Oxford Terrace Hyde Park Gardens and bears the clear full autograph signature of Lord Derby – “Derby” at the lower left. The cover is franked with a British One Penny red Queen Victoria adhesive stamp and retains its original postal markings. The reverse bears a 30 July 1854 datestamp together with a particularly attractive large original red wax seal bearing a heraldic device. The date provides additional historical context. In 1854 Derby, already a former Prime Minister, was one of the principal leaders of the Conservative opposition. The year also fell at the beginning of the Crimean War, one of the major international and political crises of the Victorian period. However, in the absence of the original contents, no direct association between this cover and the Crimean War or any particular political event can be established. An attractive Victorian autograph and postal-history item, precisely dated to the period between Lord Derby’s first two terms as Prime Minister, combining Derby’s full autograph signature, an 1854 date, original Queen Victoria postage, postal markings and an original heraldic wax seal.
Auction 01: Auction 01 – Historical Letters, Documents & Autographs — Melis Antiques & Art