Date of use : 1948, USA

University of Minnesota Photo Lab Letterhead

This envelope represents a postal item sent from a university photographic laboratory in the United States to Latin America. The printed letterhead in the upper left corner identifies the sender as Frank W. Zoubek of the University of Minnesota Photo Laboratory. The addressee is listed as Miss E. S. Bastida, associated with a secondary school in the city of Colón, Panama. Both the postal markings and the commemorative stamp indicate that the envelope is not only a communication medium but also a document reflecting the postal culture and international academic networks of the period.

The University of Minnesota is a major American public university founded in 1851. During the first half of the twentieth century the institution expanded rapidly in the fields of scientific research and technical education. Photographic laboratories operating within universities played an increasingly important role in documentation and visual production for scientific and educational purposes. By the 1930s photography had evolved from a primarily artistic practice into a technical tool used in scientific research, medicine, engineering, and education. University photographic laboratories therefore functioned as part of the infrastructure supporting academic research and teaching. The individual named on the envelope, Frank W. Zoubek, was likely associated with the technical staff or administration of this laboratory, although the exact nature of his position cannot be determined solely from the surviving document.

The recipient, Miss E. S. Bastida, is addressed at Escuela Secundaria Abel Bravo in Colón, Panama. Abel Bravo is recognized as an important figure in the history of Panamanian education, and the secondary school bearing his name became one of the principal educational institutions in the city of Colón during the mid-twentieth century. This context suggests that the correspondence may have been related to educational materials or academic exchange. After the Second World War, universities in the United States increasingly developed cultural and educational connections with institutions in Latin America, making such exchanges relatively common.

The postal cancellation on the envelope is dated 15 October 1948 and was applied in Muskogee, Oklahoma. This indicates that the letter likely passed through a postal distribution center rather than being dispatched directly from Minnesota. By the mid-twentieth century the United States postal system operated through an extensive logistical network in which regional centers often handled the processing and routing of international mail. The envelope also bears the inscription "First Day of Issue," indicating that the stamp was cancelled on the first day of its official release.

Record Information

Title: University of Minnesota Photo Lab Letterhead

Category: Academic Photography / Educational Networks

Subcategory: Institutional Correspondence / Inter-American Exchange

Country: USA → Panama

City: Minneapolis (University of Minnesota) → Colón

Date of use: 15 October 1948

Company (Sender): University of Minnesota Photo Laboratory, Frank W. Zoubek. A university-based photographic facility supporting scientific research, education, and documentation, reflecting the institutionalization of photography within American higher education.

Company (Recipient): Escuela Secundaria Abel Bravo, Colón, Panama. A secondary educational institution named after Abel Bravo, an important figure in Panamanian education, representing the growing educational infrastructure in mid-twentieth-century Panama.

Object Type: International first day cover envelope

Postal Features: US commemorative stamp (first day of issue – 15 October 1948); Muskogee, Oklahoma postal cancellation; "First Day of Issue" inscription; international postal rate.

Language: English, Spanish

Material: Paper envelope with printed university letterhead

Dimensions: Standard envelope format

Collection Theme: University of Minnesota, Frank W. Zoubek, academic photographic laboratories, Escuela Secundaria Abel Bravo, Colón Panama, inter-American educational exchange, first day covers, US postal history, 1940s academic correspondence, photography in higher education.

Archival Significance: This 1948 first day cover documents academic correspondence between a university photographic laboratory in the United States and a secondary school in Panama, illustrating the role of postal networks in supporting inter-American educational exchange and the institutionalization of photography in mid-twentieth-century academia.

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.