15c Clay, Composite Essay on Card (227-E1). 111 x 81mm thick card, with pencil drawing at right of frame essentially as adopted, with 52 x 55mm card mounted at left with cutout of engraved vignette and top label with watercolor and pencil drawing of frame and bottom label, back of card with unusual light offset of 90c design

VERY FINE. THE UNIQUE COMPOSITE ESSAY FOR THE 15-CENT 1890 ISSUE, CONSISTING OF THE ENGRAVED VIGNETTE OF CLAY WITH WATERCOLOR FRAME, AND AN ENLARGED PENCIL DRAWING OF THE IMPORTANT FRAME ELEMENTS. A PHENOMENAL RARITY.

In a letter to ABN Co. of November 13, 1889, Third Assistant Postmaster General A. D. Hazen wrote "The picture of Clay on the twelve-cent stamp formerly in use, does not look well. How would it appear in full or three-quarter face? I greatly prefer a representation on the three-quarter over that of full face." The essay offered here, with the three-quarter face portrait of Clay and hand-drawn frame elements essentially as adopted, was no doubt made in response to this suggestion.

Ex Brazer.

Image Magnifier / Download

Power Search for Comparables