India - Colonial.
Advertising on Telegraph forms.


Legislation was passed in India in the 1920s to permit advertising on telegraph forms of all types. Hence forms with visually busy impacts were created for telegrams and associated adinistrative documents. It is unclear how widespread the practice extended. The advertising appears to gave ceased in the early 1930s.

There were many variations in the advertisements across many types of telegraph--related forms. Examples are provided below:

  1. Delivery forms;
  2. Delivery envelopes;
  3. Receipts for Telegrams.

1. Delivery forms:

Mandalay, 30 November 1923.


Advertisements on the front for:

  1. Glaxo - Builds Bonny Babies;
  2. Imperial Specials Cigarettes;
  3. Lipton's Tea.

 

Delhi, 24 December 1924.

Advertisements on the front for:
  1. Quakers Oats;
  2. Tortoiseshell Cigarettes;
  3. Lipton's Tea.

 

Jhalrapatan, 14 April 1927.

Advertisements on the front for:

  1. Sunger Sewing machines;
  2. Bear's Elephant Cigarettes;
  3. Lipton's Tea.

New Delhi, 22 April 1950 (post-independence).

Receipt in stamps for Rp. 2 /14 A. on reverse side of a transmission form for a message sent to Harramah, Pakistan on 20 April 1950.
No advertisement on the front - just the usual details and the message.
A carbon copy of the message and details is glued to the form (see right side for line).

 

2. Delivery envelopes.

Printed 11 March 1932.

Advertisement for Mysore Soap - made in the Government Soap Factory.
93 cm high.

 

3. Receipts for telegrams.


Receipt for COLFFIX, the Bitumen Emulsion for roads.

 

6 June 1933.

Receipt for Fire Bricks made by a Company linked by name to its product.