Unused postcard published by Stamp Collecting magazine 1980
“The Blarney Stone” - Caricature by George Edward Madeley (1798-1858), based on the Mulready design of early postal stationery, giving Madeley’s take on Victorian foreign policy in 1840.
Mulready stationery was postal stationery letter sheets and envelopes introduced as part of the British Post Office postal reforms of 1840. They went on sale on 1 May 1840, and were valid for use from 6 May. The Mulready name arises from the fact that William Mulready, a well-known artist of the time, was commissioned to illustrate the part of the letter sheets and envelopes which corresponded with the face area (cf PC_NPM31-6 here).