Britain's Post Office in Pictures

On June 7, Martin Devereux, the British Postal Museum and Archive's (BPMA) digital content development manager, will be speaking at The Lumen URC, Bloomsbury about the foundation of the General Post Office Photograph Library in the 1930s, its subsequent development and re-establishment when the Post Office became a statutory corporation in 1969, through to its closure in the 1990s.

Mr. Devereux's talk is being given in conjunction with the exhibition, The Post Office in Pictures, that showcases a number of  BPMA photographs.

According to the BPMA website,  "In 1934, the General Post Office (GPO) established its Public Relations Department. Headed by the entrepreneurial Sir Stephen Tallents, the department's aim was to promote good relations with the public, to provide guidance on using postal services, and to gather and interpret customer feedback to help shape the work of the GPO."

It goes on to say, "Photography was one of the key tools used by the PR Department to reach and engage with the general public. In order to supply its fledgling Post Office Magazine with professionally-produced photographs, Tallents secured the services of skilled photographers from the Engineer-in-Chief's Department. Members of the GPO Photographic Unit began to accompany the magazine's journalists, creating visually appealing, informative and often humorous articles about daily life in Britain."

Shown above, postman holding some unusual mail in the returned parcels section. No date given.

For more information and photos, click here.