The "flying" figures are not shown in this sketch.
Original drawings are in nearly every case unique in themselves. Curiously enough, Mulready is supposed to have made two, possibly three, original sketches for his envelope, though even here each must be regarded as dissimilar from the others. One is a pencil design in outline, and is in the possession of His Majesty the King; the sketch was sold with other drawings and sketches by Christie, Manson & Woods on April 28, 1864, when it was stated by the auctioneer that this was the only sketch of the design made by the artist. It is practically the whole of the design as printed, and shares the peculiarity of the issued envelopes and covers that one of the flying angels is drawn without a second leg. Another sketch, according to Sir Henry Cole,[9] had this omission corrected before it was presented to Mr. Thomas Baring, M.P. If Sir Henry Cole were not mistaken, I must consider the sketch in the possession of Miss Jaffray to be yet a third "original," as it is lacking the winged four figures entirely.
Another pair of sketches of unequalled importance is in the possession of His Majesty. These are the two rough sketches in water-colours of the designs of the first (1840) One Penny and Two Pence stamps, submitted by Mr. Rowland Hill for approval of the Chancellor of the Exchequer: across the head of the one in black Rowland Hill has written "1d." in pencil, and similarly "2d." across the one in blue.
Original drawings of issued stamps very rarely leave the Government or printer's establishments, but in a few cases they have come on the market. A few years ago, in a large collection of colour-proofs of stamps printed by De La Rue, I saw the original drawing for the 1881 stamps of Cyprus, a unique item which went to embellish the specialised collection of the stamps of that colony formed by Mr. J. C. North, of Huddersfield. Shortly afterwards I myself secured two original colour drawings for the 1897 issue of British Central Africa.[10] I found them in the Strand, where, strange to say, many of these out-of-the-way items are often moderately priced, quite out of proportion to their interest and relative scarcity, for it is only in comparatively recent times that specialism has admitted these historic side-issues into the stamp album. Mr. Charles J. Phillips, one of those rare combinations of student and dealer, has permitted me to reproduce an original sketch of the canoe type of Fiji, from the fine collection of this colony formed by him.[11] The drawing was by Mr. Leslie J. Walker, Postmaster of Suva, and represents "a young colony (the canoe forging ahead towards the rising sun shows the progress of the colony); the crown is retained, indicating that it is a colony of England."
Other sources of stamp-engravings are of interest, and some are not difficult of access. A familiar one is the source of the picture on the "Omaha" $1 stamp which the United States Post Office literally "cribbed" from the etching published by Dunthorne, of Vigo Street, of the late Mr. MacWhirter's painting "The Vanguard." The American Post Office altered the title to "Western Cattle in Storm," but the picture is unmistakably the same. My statement of MacWhirter's authorship of the picture having been challenged by an artist, who was probably misled by the Scottish painter's devotion to landscape, led me to submit the stamp to Mr. MacWhirter, whose reply admits of no doubt.
ORIGINAL SKETCH FOR THE "CANOE" TYPE OF FIJI STAMPS.
"August 26 [1906].
"Dear Sir,—Certainly the picture was painted by me. It was exhibited in the R.A. about 15 or 18 years since. It was named by me 'The Vanguard.' The picture belongs now, I believe, to Lord Blythswood, near Glasgow. It is published as an etching by Dunthorne, Vigo Street.
"Truly,
"J. MacWhirter.