Today, we take it for granted that postage is uniform and affordable. But the introduction of the Penny Post prompted an unprecedented expansion in the popularity of mail, as it became affordable to many people for the first time. 67 million letters were posted in 1839, 242 million by 1844 after the introduction of the Penny Post. By 1875 the number had risen to over a billion. In 1947 Royal Mail handled a staggering 23,000,000 letters a day according to an iconic publicity poster from that time.
2000s Star Wars (2015)
1900s Coping with the influx of letters from the front during World War 1
1800s Sir Robert Smirke (1780–1867)
2000s Slave Trade Abolition - Olaudah Equiano (2007)
2000s 150th Anniversary of the National Portrait Gallery (2006)
1900s Landscapes - first use of cameo head of Queen (1966)