John P. Charlton
Encyclopedia
John P. Charlton was an American
printer and stationer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, who is often credited as the inventor of the private postal card
, which he copyrighted in 1861 together with Hymen Lipman
.
, an artist and photographer, who painted Civil War
battlefields in the beginning of the 1860s and used them to write to his family. Charlton invented the private postal card around the same time in 1861 in Philadelphia. He copyrighted and patented the idea in the same year. He later transferred the rights to the idea to his friend and fellow printer Hymen Lipman
who was also credited for the invention and who printed the postal cards with a decorative border and a small print reading "Lipman's Postal Card. Patent Applied For." (see picture). Lipman's cards were also the ones that were first known as "post cards".
had previously allowed non-government issued post cards to be circulated as long as proper postage was affixed to it and they confined to the government's regulations. Starting in 1873 however, the government began to issue their own post cards measuring 130 x 75 mm. This lasted until May 19, 1898, when Congress passed the Private Mailing Card Act.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
printer and stationer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, who is often credited as the inventor of the private postal card
Postal card
Postal cards are postal stationery with an imprinted stamp or indicium signifying the prepayment of postage. They are sold by postal authorities. In January, 1869 Emanuel Herrmann of Austria described the advantages of a Correspondenz Karte. By October, 1869 the world's first postal card was...
, which he copyrighted in 1861 together with Hymen Lipman
Hymen Lipman
Hymen L. Lipman is credited with registering the first patent for a pencil with an attached eraser on March 30, 1858 .Hymen L. Lipman was born March 20, 1817, in Kingston, Jamaica, to English parents...
.
History of Charlton's postal card
The first postal cards have been used by William Henry JacksonWilliam Henry Jackson
William Henry Jackson was an American painter, Civil War, geological survey photographer and an explorer famous for his images of the American West...
, an artist and photographer, who painted Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
battlefields in the beginning of the 1860s and used them to write to his family. Charlton invented the private postal card around the same time in 1861 in Philadelphia. He copyrighted and patented the idea in the same year. He later transferred the rights to the idea to his friend and fellow printer Hymen Lipman
Hymen Lipman
Hymen L. Lipman is credited with registering the first patent for a pencil with an attached eraser on March 30, 1858 .Hymen L. Lipman was born March 20, 1817, in Kingston, Jamaica, to English parents...
who was also credited for the invention and who printed the postal cards with a decorative border and a small print reading "Lipman's Postal Card. Patent Applied For." (see picture). Lipman's cards were also the ones that were first known as "post cards".
Design
Charlton's invention was a plain card (except the decorative border), the face of which was completely reserved for the message. The reverse side was for the destination address and the 1¢ stamp. Neither side bore a picture or similar decoration, as modern picture postcards do. The well-known postcard format of a divided back (for text and address) with an image on the whole front was not used in the US until 1907, although they were used earlier in other countries.End of production
Charlton and Lipman stopped production of their postal cards in 1873. The United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
had previously allowed non-government issued post cards to be circulated as long as proper postage was affixed to it and they confined to the government's regulations. Starting in 1873 however, the government began to issue their own post cards measuring 130 x 75 mm. This lasted until May 19, 1898, when Congress passed the Private Mailing Card Act.
See also
- History of postcards in the United States