Folded letter from Paris office at Rue Bonaparte
This folded letter originated from the Paris office at Rue Bonaparte on November 20, 1870, (fifth collection) and was prepaid 20 centimes for the French internal letter rate to Etretat, “Par Ballon Monté.” Based on the date and time of collection plus the arrival datestamp of November 24, 1870, it is likely that this letter was carried out of Paris by the balloon Archiméde.
The Archiméde carried 290 kilograms of mail and traveled at great speed all the way to Holland, where it descended at Castelre, near the Belgian border. The dispatches were taken to Turnhout, Belgium, and the letters for France were forwarded free of charge by the Belgian Post.
Date:
Paris/R. Bonaparte (collection) 20 November 1870
Etretat (arrival) 24 November 1870
Glossary
