Date of use : 1962, USA

Gilroy Public Schools to Webb's Photo Supply, San Jose, California

This envelope, sent by Gilroy Public Schools in California, represents a piece of everyday correspondence linking an educational institution with a supplier of photographic equipment. The printed return address identifies the sender as Gilroy Public Schools located at 263 North Church Street, Gilroy, California, indicating that the letter originated from an official public school administration.

The envelope is addressed to Webb's Photo Supply, a photographic supply business located at 66 South 1st Street, San Jose, California. San Jose, situated in the Santa Clara Valley, has historically been an active commercial center serving surrounding communities. Businesses such as Webb's Photo Supply typically sold cameras, photographic film, printing paper, and darkroom equipment. Their clientele often included professional photographers as well as schools, newspapers, and amateur photography enthusiasts.

Educational institutions relied on photographic equipment for several practical purposes. Photographs were used to document school activities, produce yearbooks, support educational materials, and record scientific observations. For this reason schools frequently maintained working relationships with local photographic suppliers who could provide film, processing materials, and technical equipment. The letter represented by this envelope likely concerned an order for supplies or a service related to photographic work carried out by the school.

The postal cancellation indicates that the envelope was mailed from Gilroy, California, with a date reading January 26, 1962. The postage stamp used is a 4-cent commemorative stamp issued by the United States Postal Service to mark the centennial of the Pony Express (1860–1960). The Pony Express played an important role in the early development of rapid mail delivery across the American West and remains an iconic symbol in the history of American postal communication.

Record Information

Title: Gilroy Public Schools Business Envelope (Gilroy to San Jose)

Category: Photographic Equipment Services / Commercial Correspondence

Subcategory: Educational Institutions / Local Photographic Suppliers

Country: USA (Sender: Gilroy, CA) → USA (Recipient: San Jose, CA)

City: Gilroy, California (Sender: Gilroy Public Schools) → San Jose, California (Recipient: Webb's Photo Supply)

Date of use: 26 January 1962

Organization (Sender): Gilroy Public Schools, 263 North Church Street, Gilroy, California, USA. A public school district administrative office.

Company (Recipient): Webb's Photo Supply, 66 South 1st Street, San Jose, California, USA. A photographic equipment retailer supplying cameras, film, printing paper, and darkroom equipment.

Object Type: Commercial envelope (business correspondence)

Postal Features: US 4-cent commemorative postage stamp (Pony Express Centennial issue, 1860–1960); Gilroy, California postal cancellation (26 January 1962).

Language: English

Material: Paper envelope

Dimensions: Standard commercial envelope format

Collection Theme: Gilroy Public Schools, California education, Santa Clara Valley, Webb's Photo Supply, San Jose photographic trade, school photography, yearbook production, educational materials, US commemorative stamps, Pony Express centennial, 1960s American postal history.

Archival Significance: This 1962 envelope documents correspondence between a California public school district (Gilroy Public Schools) and a local photographic supplier (Webb's Photo Supply in San Jose), illustrating the role of photographic equipment and services in mid-twentieth-century American educational institutions.

Research Note:

This article is based on historical research and independent analysis of the material in the author's collection. The text has been prepared as an original interpretative study and does not reproduce copyrighted material.

This item is documented as part of the Photography in Postal History research project.
For research context, see the Research Methodology.
For academic reference, please refer to How to Cite This Archive.