1889 WILLIAM CROOKES to GEORGE KUNZ note with raised escutcheon/insignia

Description

[WILLIAM CROOKES NOTE WITH ESCUTCHEON/COAT OF ARMS TO GEORGE KUNZ, 1889] WILLIAM CROOKES, 1832-1919, noted British scientist, to George Frederick Kunz, 1856-1932
, noted American mineralogist and gemologist who worked for Tiffany’s, typed note signed/TNS dated July 19, 1889, 4” x 6-1/2”/about 60 words on first page of folded sheet of four pages, letterhead in red at top of first page with address 7, Kensington Park Gardens, London W. and
embossed logo/insignia of Cookes’ with embossed elephant above this
, hand-signed William Crookes with Crookes note “G. F. Kunz” in lower left corner with “My dear Sir” salutation, 4 pages with horizontal midfold as mailed with envelope addressed by hand by Crookes to Dr. G. F. Kunz, 40 East 45th Street, New York City, U. S. America (envelope present), Crookes asks that Kunz meet him earlier than planned because Crookes has just “received a summons to an important board meeting in the city at midday tomorrow”; signature authenticated by seller with lifetime guarantee of authenticity ///
POINTS OF INTEREST:
CROOKES’ COAT-OF-ARMS/INSIGNIA ON THE NOTE
: The insignia in the letterhead with the motto “Ubi Crux Ubi Lux [Here the cross, There the light] “clearly refers to the Maltese
cross
experiment” [1887], and is also imaginative in that the Latin word “crux” for “cross” is pronounced like “Crookes” (website Escutcheons of Science, showing a different design of the Crookes’ escutcheon, but one having the same distinguishing elements including the Latin phrase and the elephant, and going over the Maltese cross experiment including a diagram); “[Crookes] adopted the playfully multilayered motto ‘Ubi Crux Ubi Lux’, beautifully encapsulating in one tag his scientific and commercial interests…” (book review of “William Crookes and the commercialization of science” by reviewer Jeff Hughes, published online 25 February 2009 by Notes and Records of the Royal Society); the insignia of the Crookes’ note to Kunz the earliest one used as late at the early 1900s as indicated by pictures of Crookes’ notes and letters online…later coats of arms attributed to Crookes found online are more complex, bringing the elephant into the coat of arms and also with imagery referring to the Maltese cross experiment done in 1887, but not fully appreciated until later years when Crookes modified his insignia/coat-of-arms by adding references to the experiment and modified the design; “Crookes was knighted in 1897.” (wikipedia), seeing this early/1889 Crookes insignia in the letterhead of his note paper for his note to George Kunz, it appears Crookes with his engaging personality and elevated stature in the field of science (though not in 1889 so high as it would become) modified the insignia/coat of arms he had adopted for himself to make it more elaborate and in keeping with the traditions of design of one made a knight and thus officially granted a coat of arms;
CROOKES AND KUNZ ASSOCIATION
was baed on their shared interests in science, natural science, and spiritualism; this item/Crookes’ note brings together two of the leading public figures of their era prominent for their contributions to science, activism in various fields, and wide circle of friends and colleagues
/// NOTE:
there is an anomaly in this item as Crookes’ note with the London address in the letterhead is dated July 19, 1889 (as noted above) and the envelope has a British stamp with a British postmark and a Kensington Park return address on the back flap for closing the envelope, while on the back of the envelope there is a circular US postmark New York, N.Y., 3 AM, April 2, 1904, despite this inexplicable anomaly, there is nothing about this item to indicate it is not an 1889 Crookes’ note to Kunz, e. g., “American” in address indicated it was sent outside the U.S., British stamp, etc.
/// CONDITION:
well-preserved, envelope torn at top edge.