Hidden Meanings

Some of the different ways Victorians were able to send hidden messages through the post are outlined by John Scott.

The Victorians had a penchant for hidden meanings, whether in precious stones, flowers or even postage stamps. Writing in 1896, Maud Cook listed 12 stones, one for each sign of the zodiac, with each having a corresponding flower. Her catalogue of flower meanings continued with over 450 flowers, including bindweed, symbolising humility, and nettles for cruelty. Her vocabulary was felt ‘sufficient to express the whole scale of the emotions, and, in fact, to give expression to almost any sentiment which may arise in the mind’. For the month of March, the star sign is Aries, the flower is the violet and the stone is a bloodstone. The need to secure letters in the days before gummed envelopes, without resorting to the complications of sealing wax, gave rise to the production…

You're reading a preview of

Stamp Collector (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2025

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.