Autograph request
Sent by Bray to John + (Cigarette card featuring John Burns) + Esq, Lavender Hill, Batter, C.S.W. on 3rd December 1900 requesting his autograph.
Postcard with a cigarette card attached with the name portion removed leaving the postal authorities the challenge of identifying the intended recipient.
The Post Office deemed this method of addressing mail was contrary to regulations and imposed a 1d. charge.
John Elliot Burns (20 October 1858 24 January 1943) was an English trade unionist and politician, particularly associated with London politics and Battersea. He was a socialist and then a Liberal Member of Parliament and Minister. He was anti-alcohol and a keen sportsman. After retiring from politics, he developed an expertise in London history and coined the phrase "The Thames is liquid history". When the Liberal cabinet made a decision for war on 2 August 1914, he resigned and played no further role in politics.
