Unused block of twelve "Penny Red Brown" postage stamps of Queen Victoria
issued February 10, 1841
Medium
Engraving printed in red-brown ink on paper
Dimensions
Overall: 1 7/8 × 4 3/4 in. (4.8 × 12.1 cm)
Classification
Postage Stamps|Prints
Culture
British
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Assunta Sommella Peluso, Ada Peluso, and Romano I. Peluso, in memory of Ignazio Peluso, 2002
Accession Number
2002.236.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
This pristine block of twelve unused "Penny Red Brown" postage, issued on February 10, 1841, captures the profile of a young Queen Victoria, engraved by the renowned British artist William Wyon. Measuring just 1 7/8 × 4 3/4 inches, these tiny treasures from the Metropolitan Museum of Art European Sculpture and Decorative Arts represent a pivotal moment in communication history. Following the groundbreaking Penny Black of 1840—the world's first adhesive postage stamp—the Penny Red was introduced to better accommodate black postmarks on its distinctive red-brown ink, making mail more efficient a...
About the Artist
William Wyon · 1795–1851
British, Birmingham 1795–1851 Brighton