II.A. Maltese Cross Period: 1840 -1844

Mulready Caricatures
Southgate #4 - Blarney Stone 7 July 1840
Ackermann #1 - The Print Mill 30 January 1841

No. 4 of the Southgate Series of Mulready Caricatures.
Drawn aud lithographed by Madeley - published by J.W. Southgate - dated in full as June 8th, 1840.

Internal Irish usage from Dublin to Baltinglass. County Wicklow. Pre-paid 2d, the 1/2 to 1 oz. rate.
No. I of the Ackermann Series of Comic Envelopes.

Political cartoon of Daniel O'Connel feeding Irish peasants into a print mill
making coinage for "Poor Dan's Wallet".

Earliest known of 4 used examples. Drawn and lithographed by R.S. Hurst 244 Strand
published by Ackermann & Co. 96 Strand.

The prepaid envelope and wrapper were an innovation that Rowland Hill anticipated would be extensively used by the general writing public because of convenience. The elaborate design by William Mulready - attempting to show the real meaning of uniform penny postage - provoked laughter and ridicule in the press. Caricatures lampooning the various elements of the design appeared quite soon after the official issue.

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