The Republic of Cuba (2)

A large, legal size envelope mailed by the office of the President of Cuba, Don Tomás Estrada Palma, on March 11, 1903. No postage stamps were required on mail from government officials. It is possible that the address on the letter was written by the President himself.

The U.S. Post Office Department, during its almost four years of administration, had made many changes in the Cuban postal system, modeling it after the US system. Even “penalty envelopes,” such as this one, bore the Spanish equivalent for “Official Business/ Penalty for Private Use, $300.”

Tome 2, number 21: Havana to Ciudad, 11 March 1903.
Click to see a detail of the Presidential Office cachet.