JOHN WANAMAKER - AUTOGRAPH ENVELOPE UNSIGNED 09/07/1892 - HFSID 175415

JOHN WANAMAKER
Wanamaker hand-addressed this unsigned envelope to Alfred L. Wanamaker in 1892. It was postmarked in Washington, DC in 1892, while Wanamaker was still President Benjamin Harrison's Postmaster General.
Autograph envelope unsigned, 4¼x3½ envelope. Postmarked Washington, DC, Sept. 7, 1892. Addressed to Mr. Alfred L. Wanamaker, 1511 Mount Vernon St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With one 2¢ stamp affixed. We're not sure who Alfred L. Wanamaker is. The New York Times ran a brief obituary for Alfred Wanamaker, a cousin of Wanamaker who took his life in St. Louis on Oct. 5, 1890; obviously, this isn't the Wanamaker referenced on this 1892 envelope. Wanamaker (1838-1922, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was an American businessman who, in 1875, established the first department store, bringing a collection of specialty stores together under one roof in the former freight depot of the Pennsylvania Railroad in Philadelphia. Wanamaker, who was one of the first major retailers to employ advertising agencies to sell his goods, was also a leader in offering "fringe benefits" to his employees, who enjoyed paid vacations, health care, life insurance, pensions and financial aid for further education. As Postmaster General under President Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893), he issued the first commemorative stamps (over protests from Congress) and proved that they could be moneymakers. Lightly toned, soiled, stained and creased. Envelope has been neatly torn open at top. Otherwise, fine condition.