Postage and Telegraph Stamps: Wurtemberg

Philatelic 69/1/72/5/31

Postage and Telegraph Stamps: Wurtemberg

1851-1883

Written up collection of postage stamps and other philatelic materials.

Related philatelic content can be found in the Supplementary (Philatelic 68) and UPU (Philatelic 72) collections.

Not Public Record(s)

English

1 Page; 8 Items

Restrictions to access apply please consult British Library staff. Access to these collections is by appointment only. Please email the Philatelic Collections to book an appointment: philatelic@bl.uk

Transferred from the British Museum to the British Library, 1973.

The Tapling Collection in its entirety includes an array of physical formats including postal stationery, covers, essays, proof materials, postage stamps in singles, pairs, strips, blocks, sheets and sheet reconstructions in addition to errors, shades and

Thomas Keay Tapling, born on October 30, 1855, in Dulwich, London, was a significant figure in philately and the original collector of the renowned Tapling Collection. Growing up in a wealthy household, he received a comprehensive education, attending Harrow in 1870 and graduating from Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1880. Initially pursuing a legal career specializing in medical jurisprudence, Tapling eventually abandoned this path in 1882 to take over his family's carpet-manufacturing business, 'Thomas Tapling & Company,' following his father's death. Under his management, the firm expanded and diversified, becoming a successful home furnishings supplier.Beyond his business ventures, Tapling embarked on a political career, being elected as the Conservative MP for Harborough in the 1886 General Election. He actively participated in parliamentary debates and served on the Standing Committee for Trade. An avid sportsman, he engaged in shooting, angling, and fox-hunting. He also played for the Marylebone Cricket Club and participated in the first amateur cricket tour of India and Ceylon in 1889-1890, demonstrating his international travel interests that also included visits to the United States, Canada, and various European countries.Tapling began stamp collecting at the age of ten, an interest that deepened throughout his life, supported by family wealth and his financial success. He acquired numerous significant collections, including those of William Edmond Images, William Amos Scarborough Westoby, Major Edward Benjamin Evans, and Marcellus Purnell Castle. His international travels and connections with European philatelists also facilitated acquisitions, such as a notable swap with Philipp La Renotiere von Ferrary. His primary goal was to obtain unused varieties, resorting to used stamps only when mint conditions were unavailable or if the used stamp held greater value. Recognizing the collection's growing significance by the mid-1880s, Tapling focused on its preservation, purchasing one hundred red Moroccan leather-bound albums for organizing his stamps, which remain in use today.Tragically, Tapling passed away at the age of thirty-five on April 11, 1891, after being diagnosed with tuberculosis. His profound legacy was cemented by his will, completed on October 29, 1889, in which he bequeathed his entire philatelic collection to the British Museum. This donation was made on the condition that it be named 'The Tapling Collection,' remain intact, and have a designated space accessible to the President and Secretary of the Philatelic Society of London. He also left a sum of one thousand pounds for its mounting and arrangement. The arrival of the Tapling Collection at the British Museum, placed under the Department of Printed Books, marked the genesis of what is now the British Library's Philatelic Collections. Due to the collection's disorganized state and the lack of in-house expertise, the Museum's Board of Trustees appointed Edward Denny Bacon as Philatelic Advisor in May 1892. Bacon, born August 29, 1860, was a highly successful professional philatelist who extensively published and held prominent positions, including Curator of the Royal Philatelic Collection. He worked three days a week for seven years to arrange, mount, and prepare the collection for exhibition, receiving a salary that varied between £100 and £75 every six months.In July 1895, Jane Elizabeth Hamilton was hired as an Assistant to Bacon to expedite the project. Though she had no prior philatelic knowledge, Hamilton was responsible for the mechanical task of mounting stamps under Bacon's direction. As the first female in a collections-based role at the British Museum, her salary was set at 1 shilling 6 pence per hour, later reduced to 1 shilling, until her employment ended on October 11, 1897. The team worked in the North Wing of the British Museum Library, and the collection was securely stored in an iron safe when not on display. Various suppliers, including Waterlow and Sons, Stanley Gibbons, and Frederick Adolphus Philbrick, provided necessary materials like mounts, hinges, and storage boxes for the collection. Bacon's semi-annual reports, detailing thirteen phases of work, provide a comprehensive record of the collection's development, which was arranged by country and then chronologically, with a focus on unused stamps and illustrative layouts.