Lot Details

three covers dated August 17 and September 21, 1912 and April 30, 1914, each with rubber handstamp with pointing hand and housefly and all with "Department of Health, City of Chicago" cornercards, small faults and one reduced, otherwise very fine, this handstamp was used in the early 1910s by the Chicago Department of Health as part of a campaign to eliminate disease-bearing flies, at the time the Union Stockyards processed more meat than anywhere else on the planet and contributed towards unsanitary conditions for many, this handstamp is a rare and interesting glimpse into this era of Chicago's history