An original Victorian mourning cover dated 1869, written and sent by Sir Moses Montefiore (1784–1885) to Lewis Emanuel (d. 1898), Secretary and Solicitor to the Board of Deputies of British Jews. The cover is manuscript-addressed to: Lewis Emanuel Esq. 36 Finsbury Circus London E.C. and bears Sir Moses Montefiore's autograph signature at the lower left. The cover was posted from Ramsgate, Montefiore's celebrated place of residence, and bears a Victorian British One Penny Red postage stamp with a Ramsgate postmark dated 20 October 1869. A red London arrival marking is visible on the reverse. The envelope is executed as characteristic Victorian mourning stationery with a broad black border. The reverse flap additionally bears a decorative blind-embossed botanical device. The identity of the recipient considerably enhances the historical interest of the cover. Lewis Emanuel was a British Jewish solicitor and communal leader who served as Secretary and Solicitor to the Board of Deputies of British Jews. Contemporary sources record him in this position and at 36 Finsbury Circus, London E.C. The association between Montefiore and Emanuel was sustained rather than incidental. The archival catalogue of the Montefiore Family Papers specifically records a surviving collection of letters from Sir Moses Montefiore to Lewis Emanuel dating from 1869 to 1885. This October 1869 cover therefore belongs to the beginning of a documented series of correspondence between the two men. Montefiore was for decades one of the dominant figures of the Board of Deputies and served for extended periods as its President, while Emanuel served as its Secretary and Solicitor. Their correspondence consequently represents a direct documentary connection within the leadership of Victorian Anglo-Jewry. An attractive and historically significant piece of Judaica and autograph material combining Sir Moses Montefiore's autograph signature, an important identified Anglo-Jewish recipient, a documented archival correspondence between the two men, Victorian mourning stationery, a One Penny Red stamp and contemporary 1869 postal markings.
Auction 01: Auction 01 – Historical Letters, Documents & Autographs — Melis Antiques & Art