Festive Philately From Years Gone By

The postage stamp is one of those stalwarts of British history that the expression “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” might have been made for. It has gone largely unchanged since its very first iteration, the Penny Black, which was created in 1840, with a view to redressing the corrupt 19th century postal service. This inaugural edition arrived just in time for the very first Christmas card – a joyous family scene illustrated by John Callcott Horsley – to be sent in 1843:…