Tuesday 5 February 2013

Tiger, tiger, burning bright…

Card no 383 - Monica
Tiger
Country: Sweden
Place:  Borås
Received: 2nd February 2013
Distance:  695 miles
Travelled for: 2 days


This card was addressed not only to me to but also to Miss Ivy to show the latter a really BIG cat.  She seemed unimpressed, perhaps the growl wasn't loud enough.


I not only love this right hand stamp but also the frank that is on it – the post horn. The post horn is a cylindrical brass or copper instrument with a cupped mouthpiece and no valve. It was used to signal the arrival or departure of a post rider or mail coach, especially by postilions of the 18th and 19th centuries. Mail coaches had tight schedules and travelled at high speed, being given priority on the road in most countries. Other road users were required to clear completely out of the way. The sound of the post horn travelled some distance ahead and gave warning of a fast approaching mail coach before it could be seen.  The instrument commonly had a circular or coiled shape with three turns of the tubing, as shown on this frank, though sometimes it was straight.

1 comment:

  1. I'm glad to see they managed to get the postmark straight and clear on this card... something one has no control of as sender... I can add that the symbol to the left is of a well-known Göteborg/Gothenburg silhouette of a sculpture: Poseidon by Carl Milles, outside the Art Museum.

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