Otherwise known as ‘direct mail’, advertising through the mail has long history, dating back more than 150 years to when it first become a phenomenon of Victorian consumerism. In his famous ‘Post Office Reform’ pamphlet of 1837, Rowland Hill predicted that the catalogues of merchants, manufacturers and shopkeepers would become a major class of the post.
1800s Pop up Valentine’s card (20th century)
1800s Sir Robert Smirke (1780–1867)
1900s Airmail numbers
1900s Modern Special Stamp Programme born with Churchill Commemoration (1965)
1700s The initial declaration of love – the beginnings of Valentine’s Day
1900s ‘Pack your parcels carefully’ by Hans Unger (1960)