In 1918, China Post began issuing postal cards [postcards with the postage already printed on the card]. Three versions of a postal card featuring grain patterns with postage were issued. The one in the Bowker collection is the third version (Fig. 1) issued in 1921 in a complete set (1 postal card in a set). The postal card is a vertical type with a postage of 3 cents and there is a vertical line on the lower right side that reads "Price 3.5 cents". Its difference from the previous two versions is that the words "Postcard with Postage" are printed vertically in Song font below the postage image. On the reverse of the envelope, Bowker wrote 3RD PRINTING in English.
Fig. 1
An envelope was sent from a foreign bookstore called Western Arts Gallery in Weihaiwei Road (now Weihai Road), Shanghai, to Bowker in Oakland, USA. (Fig. 2) It bears three Sun Yat-sen 2-dollar stamps surcharged to 100 dollars on the reverse. The Western Arts Gallery was opened by a German, a Mr. Heinemann, who had a master's degree and originally ran a bookstore in Berlin, Germany. He fled to Shanghai during the Nazi antiJewish wave and then opened this bookstore at 1166 Xiafei Road (now Huaihai Road) and 904 Weihaiwei Road, and he was considered the most knowledgeable and sophisticated bookseller among his peers.
Fig. 2
Figure 3 is an envelope from the Bowker Collection, with the "Central Bank of China Customs Gold Unit Notes" printed in English, and the handwritten year, denomination, color, printing house, obverse, and reverse design of the banknotes on the cover. Inside the envelope are four pieces of the 1939 Central Bank of China 5-cent Banknote featuring the Yong Ning Tower in the center, printed by Xinhua Printing House, 32 Haikou Road.
Fig. 3
An envelope was sent by the Fengtien Haicheng Ming Lang Stamp Club to Bowker, who was in Saratoga, U.S.A. at the time (Fig. 4). The cover bears 15 Manchukuo 1-cent stamps in a block on the obverse and 10 stamps in a block on the reverse. Haicheng City is a part of Anshan City, Liaoning Province, located in the hinterland of Liaodong Peninsula. Since the text on the stamp is not clear, what can be distinguished is “XX first year, November 20, XX”, and the pseudo-Manchukuo reign titles "Datong" (from 1932 to 1933) and "Kangde" (from 1934 to 1945). Therefore, this letter was sent either in the first year of Datong, 1932, or in the first year of Kangde, 1934.
Fig. 4
An envelope was sent from the Shanghai Chinese Stamp Society to Bowker, New York, USA. (Fig. 5) The cover bears 4-cent Junk Stamps. The Chinese Stamp Society was one of the most famous philatelic groups in early China, founded in July 1925 in Shanghai. It was formerly known as the Maritime Postal Association, playing an important role in early Chinese philatelic activities. Its president was Zhou Jinjue ( 周今覺 ).
Fig. 5
Figure 6 is an envelope sent by Mr. Chou from the 4th floor of 53 Fuzhou Road, Shanghai, to Bowker on the USS Seattle, New York. It bears 1 Sun Yatsen one-dollar stamp and 1 Sun Yat-sen three-cent stamp. The address of 53, Fuzhou Road for the Hunt & Co (William, Hunt & Co; William. Fed, Inc; U.S.A) was built in 1930 by William P. Hunt, the former vice president of Foley's on the Bund, in Shanghai. Its business covers the import and export of hardware, timber, shipping, insurance agency, etc.
Fig. 6
Figure 7 is an envelope printed with Yellow Hall P.O. BOX 1773-Shanghai China in English, featuring an ancient Chinese architectural design in the oval circle at the upper left corner and the Chinese characters which mean 'Yellow Hall' . It bears 1 Sun Yat-sen stamp surcharged 500 dollars and 1 China Post 500-dollar stamp. A P.O. Box is a rented m ailbox that need s valid proof of home or office address to rent, and the user needs to present a card issued by the post office with the box number and the name of the delivery off ice to pick up the mail.
Fig. 7
The letter from 582 Changning Road , Shanghai (Fig.8) was sent by Mr. Chen from China to Bowker in Oakland, USA. The envelope bears 10 Sun Yat-sen two-dollar stamps surcharged at 5,000 dollars.
Fig. 8
Figure 9 is an envelope sent from the Tianjin Oriental Book Store to Bowker on the USS Seattle, Brooklyn, USA. The sender's address on the envelope is 164 Victoria Road P.O. BOX 74 Tientsin, China, and ‘Tianjin Oriental Library' is written in Chinese. During the Republic of China period, Victoria Road and the northern half of the Great French Road in the British Concession of Tianjin were known as the "Oriental Wall Street", and after the liberation, the two roads were renamed as the "North Liberation Road". The envelope bears 1 Sun Yat-sen 5-cent stamp.
Fig. 9
University Hospital, Nanking (now known as Gulou Hospital of Nanjing University School of Medicine), built in 1892, was one of the first Western hospitals in China. Figure 10 is the envelope sent by University Hospital to Dr. Edwin Walline on Yuen Ming Yuen Road in Shanghai. It bears 1 Sun Yat-sen 100 Dollar stamp and 1 5-dollar stamp surcharged at 250 dollars.
Fig. 10
Figure 11 is an envelope sent from Book Mart, 286 Yuyuan Road, Shanghai, to Bowker, then on the USS Seattle, Brooklyn, bearing 1 Sun Yat-sen 1-cent stamp and 2 Huang Xing 2-cent stamps. Book Mart, owned by a Hungarian Jewish woman, had two stores in Shanghai, and it was the largest old book store in Shanghai. When she left China after the liberation, she gave her store to "Datong", a famous foreign bookstore in Shanghai during the Republic of China. In addition to a large number of books, "Datong" unexpectedly obtained catalogs of valuable books from European used book markets with prices from Book Mart.
Fig. 11
Number 147 Ward Road (now Changyang Road) in Shanghai was the Shanghai Public Concessions Police Station, also known as Tilanqiao Prison, in the Republic of China. The prison was first built in 1901 by the Bureau of Public Works of the Shanghai Public Concession and was designed by the British Engineering Office in Singapore. Its construction began at the end of that year and the building was put into use in May 1903. The envelope in Figure 12 was sent by a Mr. Clarke of the Shanghai Public Concessions Police Station, to Bowker on the USS Seattle, Brooklyn. It bears 1 Sun Yat-sen one-dollar stamp.
Fig. 12
An envelope sent from North Chengdu Road, Shanghai to Oakland, United States, (Figure 13) bears 1 Sun Yat-sen 50,000-dollar stamp, and 2 2-dollar stamps surcharged at 1,000 dollars. It is interesting to note that there is also one 1948 New Year stamp with no face value. On the stamp is written 'China Fights Tuberculosis', an anti-epidemic stamp issued during the Republican period.
Fig. 13
The last envelope in Figure 14 is written from 904, Weihaiwei Road, Shanghai to Bowker, Oakland, California, USA. (1716 Gouldin Road Oakland Calif U.S.A.) and bears 2 Huang Xing 2-cent stamps surcharged at 8 dollars and 10 dollars respectively.
Fig. 14
Through these postal envelopes, we can learn about Mr. Bowker's hobbies and interests. It also shows how widely and deeply he integrated into Chinese society and made friends. Looking at these dated envelopes, it brings back pictures of those days and the passage of time.