Mailbag used by a rural letter carrier
Social Media Share Tools
Object Details
- Description
- The flap of the leather satchel embossed “U.S. Mail” can be secured closed with the buckle attached to the lower front. Both sides have a narrow strip of leather riveted near the rim for reinforcement. The satchel can be carried by the adjustable shoulder strap attached to two rectangular-shaped rings secured to the back.
- This mailbag meets postal specification for the leather, over-the-shoulder type satchel issued to city delivery service letter carriers from the 1860s to 1973. However, this regulation mailbag was used by a rural free delivery service carrier around 1920. In contrast to their urban counterparts, rural carriers purchased all necessary equipment for their postal duties.
- c. 1920
- Object number
- 1986.0172.1
- Type
- Mail Processing Equipment
- Medium
- leather; metal
- Dimensions
- Height x Width x Depth: 18 × 14 × 3 1/2 in. (45.72 × 35.56 × 8.89 cm) Height x Width x Depth (height with strap extended): 36 1/2 × 14 × 3 1/2 in. (92.71 × 35.56 × 8.89 cm)
- Place
- Washington
- See more items in
- National Postal Museum Collection
- National Postal Museum
- Topic
- The Roaring Twenties (1920-1929)
- Postal Employees
- Record ID
- npm_1986.0172.1
- Metadata Usage (text)
- CC0
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm809011c78-ab61-4fc2-8902-69e4b2d32983
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.