The History of Stamp Collecting 9, Frederick W. Booty

Inspired by a series of articles by K. Kouwenberg that appeared in the monthly magazine Philatelie in the late 1970s, Rob Smit re-examines the history of stamp collecting in biweekly installments. This is part 9, Frederick W. Booty. France, and Paris in particular, is undoubtedly the cradle of philately. But as indicated earlier in this series, in 1862 the virus spread worldwide. Thus, the hobby of stamp collecting flourished more and more in the country that issued the first stamp 22 years earlier. In the same year that the first stamp appeared, Frederick W. Booty was born on December 9. He lived in Brighton, was a painter by profession, and collected stamps together with his father. In early 1861, they received a large sack full of stamps from a good acquaintance. After these had been sorted, Frederick compiled a catalogue. This catalogue appeared in April 1862, making it the first in the English language. The print run amounted to 500 copies. A second edition appeared as early as August because the first had sold out quickly. Booty, however, did not yet attach his name to these editions. The title pages stated 'By a Stampcollector'. A third and fourth edition appeared in the same year. Frederick did include his name on these editions, and his profession came in handy for the fourth edition, as he personally drew some 200 illustrations for it, making it the oldest English illustrated philatelic publication. The full title of this fourth edition reads: 'The Stamp Collector's Guide: being a list of British and Foreign Postage Stamps with 200 facsimile drawings, by Fred. Booty, 1862'.

It was immediately the last we saw of Booty. In 1864 he left his parental home and, as far as is known, never looked at stamps again. Frederick primarily painted landscapes, cityscapes, and seascapes. Frederick W. Booty lived from December 9, 1840, to December 9, 1924.

To be continued on August 20.

Published so far:

1. Introduction and start

2. The first collectors

3. The first catalogue

4. Alfred Potiquet

5. Booming 1862

6. Edard de Laplante

7. Natalis Rondot

8. Henri Justin Lallier