Royal Reels: Gambling

Arts and Artists

F.A. PACKER, HOUSE of ASSEMBLY, HOBART (1839-1902)

This illustrated humorous cover was addressed to F.A. PACKER ESQ, House of Assembly, and was stamped with the 1d sideface which was postmarked with a duplex HOBART/ SE 24/ (18)82. The illustration is quite complex and the key figure is a large plump screaming baby, associated with a basin of boiling water, a candle stick, a book of sketches with one sketch lying on the ground, and the fleeing legs

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ERROL LESLIE THOMSON FLYNN, AUSTRALIAN ACTOR /PLAYBOY (1909-1959) USA]

This unpretentious cover is addressed to Mr. Errol Flynn, c/- Warner Bros Film Studios, Culver City, California, U.S.A. and it bears a copy of the blue 3½d KGVI stamp, postmarked with a roller cancel with a boxed SYDNEY/ 25 OCT/ 1946 and LIFE IS PRECIOUS/ HELP/ TO PREVENT/ ACCIDENTS, a warning unheeded in the actor’s life (Figure 1). Errol was born in Hobart, Tasmania on 20 June 1909 to Theodore

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ENRICO CARUSO: POSTCARD FROM SYDNEY to MILAN, REDIRECTED to ROME

This taxed New South Wales postcard has the red printed 1d ‘Arms’ stamp canceled with the duplex SYDNEY/ DE 30/ 3 45 P.M/ 02/ 44 with the barred N.S.W obliterator. It is addressed to Signor Cav. Enrico Caruso, 1 Via Velasca, Milan Italy, and is redirected simply to ‘Roma’. It has a ‘shield’ N.S.W/ T/ 5′ tax handstamp, with the red 10 centesimi Italian postage due stamp, which is cancelled with

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ELEANOR (NELLIE) TOWZEY STEWART, WOOLOOMOOLOO BORN ACTRESS

The postcard has two stamps of N.S.W. heavily cancelled with a duplex SYDNEY/ JA 24/ NOON/ 05/ 44 with the N.S.W obliterator. It was addressed to Vancouver, Canada with a manuscript. Per R.M.S. Moama,and it had an arrival postmark of VANCOUVER/ 7/ FE 16/ 05/ B.C. (Figure 1). The reverse showed a picture of Nelly Stewart ‘Our Nell’ with her autograph (Figure 2). Nellie Stewart, actress, was born on 20 November

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EDWARD MOULTON BARRETT & ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING, POET

This July 12 1852 entire to England ‘pr Andromache’ has the ‘Half-Length’ 3d blue QV stamp of Victoria [SG 7] with an illegible Barred Numeral, and it has a rating in black ink of ‘8′. It is addressed to E.M. Barrett who was of a family with a large land holding in Jamaica, and was a rum merchant, but more importantly the father of the English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Figure

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DOLORES COSTELLO, a.k.a. DOLORES COSTELLO BARRYMORE [USA]

A very ordinary cover, with no postal history value, has a pair of red 1½d KGV heads cancelled with an ADELAIDE/ 5 AM/16 JLY/1928/ SOUTH AUSTRALIA postmark (Figure 1). The addressee is Miss Dolores Costello, Warner Studios, Hollywood, California who was once known as the “Goddess of the Silent Screen”. She was born 17 September 1903 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Maurice and May Costello and she died 1 March 1977

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DOLLY CASTLES, SOPRANO: BENDIGO GIRL MAKES GOOD OVERSEAS

The postcard had been produced from a photograph taken by W. Vincent Kelly of Bendigo, Victoria shows a demure Dolly Parsons as Phyllis in Iolanthe (Figure 1). The reverse has a red 1d ‘Shield’ stamp of N.S.W. postmarked with a Type 1D (i) DALTON/ DE 24/ 1906/ N.S.W and there was a transit Type 2 (i) of GUNNING/ 24 DE 1906/ N.S.W presumably prior to its onward journey to Narrandera on Christmas

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DAME ELLEN TERRY, “ALL THE RAGE DOWN HERE” MELBOURNE 9 MR 1907

This post card raises at least two questions, the first being: Was Master Walter Jansen of Maryborough, Victoria enamored of receiving a postcard from his sister of a future Shakespearian actress Dame?; and, did Ellen Terry perform on the stage in Melbourne in 1907? I can’t answer for sure in regards to the first question, but at present, after an intensive search of the extensive writings concerning Ellen Terry, I

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BARONESS SOPHIE ADLERSPARRE, SWEDISH FEMINIST, WRITER & EDITOR

The cover was addressed to Baroness Leijonhoufud (sic), Allerton, The Drive, Hove, England and it was redirected with a ms. Nissafors, Sweden. There is a blue crayon tax marking as well as a tax handstamp of a ‘T’ in a hexagon. The 2 copies of the 1d pink QV stamp of Victoria are canceled with a MELBOURNE/ 10/ 9–A 20 MY 08/ VICTORIA postmark. There is a reception cancel at

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AUSTRALIAN CONNECTION: KATHERINE HEPBURN, SHAKESPEARE
and SIR ROBERT HELPMANN

These two fan mail covers to Miss Katherine Hepburn in the mid 1930s predate the interesting Australian  connection in the title of this paper by two decades.  The first cover is addressed to her at Radio Pictures Studio, 780 Gower Street, Hollywood, California and the blue 3d Aboriginal stamp is cancelled VICTORIA ESTATE/ 14 OC 34/ QUEENSLAND (Figure 1). The second cover is addressed to her at R.K.O. Studios, Hollywood,

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