Unknown photographer USA

Date of use : 1943, USA

Photographer at Manitou Scenic Incline, Colorado

This envelope mailed from Manitou, Colorado illustrates the intersection of tourism photography and wartime postal practices in the United States. A faint printed heading in the upper left corner identifies the sender as a photographer located at the Mt. Manitou Scenic Incline in Manitou, Colorado. This reference points to a well-known scenic attraction situated near Colorado Springs at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The location became widely visited during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, attracting tourists who travelled to the region to experience mountain landscapes and recreational railways.

The Manitou Scenic Incline originally functioned as a steep railway used for infrastructure and transport purposes but later became a popular tourist destination. Photographers operating in such locations often specialized in souvenir photography. Visitors frequently had photographs taken during their excursions and later received printed copies by mail. The faint marking indicating a return address for the photographer suggests that the envelope may have contained a photographic print sent to a customer after the photograph had been developed.

A circular postmark indicates that the envelope passed through the Colorado Springs postal facility on July 21, 1943. This date falls during the period of the Second World War, when the United States was actively involved in the global conflict. The adhesive stamp bears the slogan "United Nations for Victory," a wartime design intended to emphasize solidarity among the Allied nations.

Another notable element on the envelope is the marking "Postage Due 1 Cent." Such markings were applied when an item entered the postal system with insufficient postage. In these cases, the receiving postal office collected the remaining amount from the recipient. The presence of a one-cent postage-due stamp confirms that an additional fee was charged in order to complete delivery.

Record Information

Title: Manitou Scenic Incline Photographer Envelope (Manitou, CO)

Category: Tourist Photography / Commercial Correspondence

Subcategory: Souvenir Photography / Wartime Postal Practices

Country: USA (Sender: Manitou, CO) → USA (Recipient)

City: Manitou, Colorado (Sender: Photographer) → [Domestic Recipient]

Date of use: 21 July 1943

Company (Sender): Unknown photographer, Mt. Manitou Scenic Incline, Manitou, Colorado, USA. A photographer specializing in souvenir photography for tourists visiting the scenic attraction near Colorado Springs.

Object Type: Commercial envelope (photograph delivery)

Postal Features: US postage stamp with "United Nations for Victory" wartime slogan; Colorado Springs postal cancellation (21 July 1943); "Postage Due 1 Cent" marking; one-cent postage-due stamp.

Language: English

Material: Paper envelope

Dimensions: Standard commercial envelope format

Collection Theme: Manitou Scenic Incline, Colorado tourism, souvenir photography, Mt. Manitou, Colorado Springs, wartime postal history, United Nations for Victory stamp, postage due, photographer correspondence, 1940s American postal system.

Archival Significance: This 1943 envelope documents a Colorado tourist photographer's correspondence with a customer, featuring wartime "United Nations for Victory" postage and a postage-due marking, illustrating the intersection of souvenir photography commerce and wartime postal practices in the United States.

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.