Collection: Bath Postal Museum

Collection-level records:

• Collection overview (Cornucopia)

  Portraits

  Portrait of Thomas Moore Musgrave in pastels Copy of a portrait of John Palmer Copy of a portrait of Ralph Allen; Bath Postal Museum.

  Costume and Textile Collection

  This collection comprises postal uniforms.

  Subjects

  Costume and Textile

  Photographic Collection

  There are photographs supporting all aspects of the collection.

  Subjects

  Photographic equipment

  Personalia Collection

  There is material relating to Ralph Allen and John Palmer, both of Bath, who implemented far reaching changes in the carriage of mail; and Thomas Moore Musgrave, postmaster of Bath 1832-1854.

  Subjects

  Personalia

  Social History Collection

  There are three clay tablets bearing messages, dating from 2000BC; a model of a John Palmer coach; a model of a mail coach; an 18th century carved model of a postboy; writing artefacts such as stamp boxes, postal balances, quill cutters, inkwells, etc; a model of Ralph Allen’s house and of the museum building; newspapers; and postal ephemera.

  Subjects

  Social History

  Archives Collection

  This collection includes the stamps which form the theme of the museum. There are early and rare stamps, and stamps covering the period from 1840 to the present; also included are receipts for mail; Victorian illustrated covers; early postal parliamentary documents; a piece of early Egyptian letter written on papyrus; airmail letters; valentines cards; shipwreck mail; envelopes; and a 1727 document signed by Ralph Allen.

  Subjects

  Archives

  Fine Art Collection

  There are paintings and prints of mail coaches; mint illustrations of stamp designs; and ten oil paintings specially commissioned of airmail events.

  Subjects

  Fine Art

  Source: Cornucopia

  Date: Not known, but before 2015

  Licence: CC BY-NC