The chief legacy of William Henry Chignell (1841–1933), the subject of this book, consisted of several hundred hand-painted envelopes sent to amuse his children scattered around Britain and in far-flung corners of the Empire.

The chief legacy of William Henry Chignell (1841–1933), the subject of this book, consisted of several hundred hand-painted envelopes sent to amuse his children scattered around Britain and in far-flung corners of the Empire. Each envelope has a water-colour drawing on the front and often the address is incorporated into the design. The drawings show extraordinary talent and range from ironic sketches, to witty commentary, and to beautiful scenes. Accompanying the illustrated envelopes that make up this volume are extracts from the children’s writings providing indications of where they would have been when they received the envelopes and what they must have meant to them and to the communities in which they were living. This gives a wider context for the designs and brings them to life in ways that the envelopes on their own, as truly remarkable as they are, cannot do.