Beyond Wonderland: Wonderland Stamp Case

The Wonderland Postage Stamp Case.

Oxford, Emberlin and Son, 1890.

Carroll was an inveterate inventor of items of practical use, and a sometimes inspired marketer. The Stamp Case promotes, in an amusing way, not only Alice but letter-writing—Carroll was also an amazingly prolific letter-writer.

The stamp case itself contains 12 pockets for different value stamps, and is housed in a cardboard sleeve. The sleeve shows a colored illustration, printed by Edmund Evans, of Alice holding the baby on the front and the Cheshire Cat on the back, whereas on the case itself, also printed in colors, the pig has changed to a baby and the cat has left behind only its grin.

The case is accompanied by a humorous small pamphlet called Eight or Nine Wise Words about Letter-Writing, and all these parts come within a flimsy envelope, originally pink.

Exhibit item 8.14