A5686

Engraved print of Sheerness dockyard chapel & terrace, circa 1860; seen from a distance, various pedestrians in the open space in the foreground. Printed by Kershaw & Son, who ran the London Stereoscope Co; printed on folded paper, so intended as a notelet for short letters. Illustrated letterheads like this one were sent by visitors to the seaside, the Lake District, the Scottish Highlands and other British tourist attractions in the mid 19th century. They were precursors of the picture postcards which began to supplant them after the introduction of the half-penny post in 1870.

mid 19th century, circa 1860

print of Sheerness, Illustrated letterhead