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Primary sourceArtifact1840

Penny Black

Charles Heath and Frederick Heath (engravers), after Henry Corbould · 1840

The world's first adhesive postage stamp, carrying a profile portrait of the young Queen Victoria.

This stamp carried Victoria's youthful portrait into everyday use, spreading her image across the country.

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Scan of a black Penny Black postage stamp with a profile of Queen Victoria in white, the word POSTAGE across the top, and ONE PENNY at the bottom with corner letters M and H. Decorative white lattice borders frame the design.
Penny Black, the world's first adhesive postage stamp, Great Britain, 1840.

About this source

What it is

The Penny Black was the first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system, issued in 1840. It shows a profile portrait of the 21-year-old Queen Victoria, engraved by Charles and Frederick Heath from a sketch by Henry Corbould, based on a cameo-like image by William Wyon.

Why it matters

Created as part of postal reforms led by Sir Rowland Hill, the stamp allowed letters to be sent cheaply at a flat rate regardless of distance. Victoria's image on it meant her face was reproduced and seen by millions of ordinary people across the country, an early example of mass-produced royal imagery. Her portrait remained on British stamps throughout her reign.

Look closer

  • Why might the government have chosen the monarch's portrait rather than a different symbol for the first stamp?
  • What does the choice to put no country name on British stamps, only the monarch's head, suggest about the stamp's purpose?
  • How might a stamp seen by millions of people change how a monarch is thought of compared to a painted portrait?

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