Lot 51608 – 1894 DE LA RUE handpainted Essay for 8c postal stationery

1894 De La Rue handpainted essay for 8c postal stationery envelope with embossed vignette of Queen Victoria painted on thin brown rice paper in rose, red and Chinese white, small pencil annotation top right ‘April 9th 1894’, some creasing, a wonderful showpiece. Note: The design was never adopted as in 1895 the tortoise design chosen by General Gordon was used.