John William Casilear: Did He Work On The 1851 Tcc Series?

This is a rather interesting post I been following. I can add nothing but an image of John William Casilear photographed by Johnston Brothers, New York City, probably 1860s. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, David Hunter McAlpin Fund, 1952 (52.605). Image © The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

@ILS Interesting pic. I have one of a portrait done of him when he was a few years younger. I will put it up if there is interest.

@sojourner I tried to send you an email, but your ISP blocked it. Please send me a message so we can get in touch.

Essayk,

Sent you an email. Did you receive it?

Nothing in my inbox or spam folder. Please try again?

Use something distinctive like - tracking essayk - as the subject line, so I can spot it at a glance. I get a LOT of email.

still nothing, Sojourner. That is a string of zeros not OHs after the first three letters.

Can we make contact? Your ISP has me filtered out as spam. It's up to you.

Essayk,

I have tried a few times to email you in detail, having received yours. I know your address contains zero's, but their is some problem in transmission that loses what I am sending. Further, the email system on this forum won't let me use it either. I have complained to the admin, but heard nothing back.

This whole situation has me very frustrated. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Essayk,

Just sent you (clicked on the "hot button" name above your stamp image) a second "test" email through the forum's system (to avoid sending another long email that goes nowhere), and once again have been blocked as a "new member". Again, sent a follow-up protest to the admin, and am waiting to hear back (never heard back the first time). There is no good reason why I should be blocked from using the forum email system after more than 40 posts, and I want to make sure everyone reading this thread out there knows this.

Just because you can't think of a good reason doesn't mean there isn't. I'll be honest, if your email to me was at least even *sort of polite*, and not telling me how to run this forum, I would have just fixed it so you can email. You can demand an explanation all you want like you did in the email but I don't owe you one.

Sojourner, I am not going to disappear without telling you so, and you can count on that. So that means you can take whatever time you need, or the system requires, to send me an email message via the system. But it sounds as though that avenue may be blocked to you for a while. I do hope you get things patched up with the admin in good order. In any event, stay cool.

In the meantime, there is something you can do to facilitate direct communication. Take my email address and submit it to your ISP approval list as non-spam to get it cleared for reception by your system. There are other ways for us to connect beyond this, so no need to get up in arms over it.

As for the topic we are working on, I have been adding banknote material and references to my holdings, so we will have much to discuss. Since I am a comparative newby at the syngraphics end of things, I have lots of basic questions for you, on or off list. But first we need to get you back in operating order.

Sojourner, I am going to ask what may seem like an odd question: Do you want to receive email via the forum email system? I won't try that if you no longer want it.

I fear we may have lost Sojourner. Because he represents an attempt to connect syngraphic (paper money collecting) and philatelic interests, I would consider that an unfortunate turn of events not only for him but for all of us who would like to see more of that kind of cooperation. This was the spirit of the Essay-Proof Society, and if he leaves that will be sorely missed.

I confess that I know nothing of the nature of his offense, but I do know it takes a thick skin to operate and moderate a site like this. I implore the list managers to cut him some slack and reinstate his status for messaging*. We have much to share.

*for private mail as well as posts to the list/forum, the latter of which I don't believe were impaired.

@sojourner

I don't know if you are still following this thread or this site or not, but if you can get this message, let's friend up on fb. Search for me as [deleted]. Send me a message with the friend request that will distinguish you from any copycats that try to exploit the fb system. Since you say you finally got the email I sent you directly, cite something from it that I have not shared here. Something specific. I'll know.

edit:
I have tried something else, and if it doesn't work I will reinstate the handle.

I hope we have not lost Sojourner; I've enjoyed this great thread and admired the detective work being done towards bringing the historical record into focus.

As a means of a 'bump'...
Today Google is honoring is Raymond Loewy 120st birthday. Often called 'the father of industrial design' he had a wonderful sense of style and his name is usually associated with 'streamlining'. And while he is often attributed with designing the Coke bottle the truth is somewhat obscured (he did slight modifications to the bottle but did not design the classic shape that most people think of).
The 1953 Studebaker Coupe is often touted as one of the best ten automobile designs ever done and is always attributed to Loewy. For me it was not until I heard Bob Bourke (one of the primary designers in Loewy studios) speak (in the 1980s) that the luster began to fade for me from the Loewy mystique. The truth is that fellows like Bourke were the real hands and minds behind the 1953 Coupe design and were working for Loewy. Loewy would, at best, periodically come into the design stupid and offer input on the sketches and/or clay modeling being completed.

I do not mean to detract from Loewy's eye for design or his contributions but merely wanted to point out that history has a habit of attribution that is not always what it appears. There are often many others behind the scenes who are doing much of the creative work but not receiving the notoriety.
don

essayk I sent you (last week) via email images of those banknote printing plates. I took pictures with my iphone but I think they will at least give you an idea about what we was talking about. Thank again -Jeff

Jeff, I missed your note so I thank you for bringing it to my attention here. I have studied the pics and sent you a direct reply.

Don- your point about behind the scenes is well taken. Sojourner had also pointed out that for his early career JW Casilear had worked behind the scenes as an apprentice with unknown duties. I also know that he worked as a freelancer doing piecework for various companies as the various partnerships came and went. But just as one does not find the auto designer's name stamped into the body work of a car, the design elements on bank notes and stamps don't usually carry names (though sometimes they do). For this reason our investigation needs to develop a method for distinguishing Casilear's engraving style from that of others. Speculative as theat may seem, unless some long forgotten records somehow surface to lay some of our questions to rest, it probably won't be any more certain than that. But perhaps the linking of official record, anecdotal evidence, and style considerations will take us where we want to go on attributing the 1851 TCCCo essays and final stamp designs. Then again, maybe not. The idea is not a new one.

I have been in touch with sojourner, but he informs me that the big thing holding him back is a reluctance to "give away" his research and discoveries in an open forum that might preclude publication later. It is a legitimate concern, and I do not know what can be done about it apart from personal correspondence. For my part, I desire a forum where many can contribute to the solution, and if publication follows, so be it.

So, for the moment, we're stuck. In the meantime I have been acquiring bank notes and knowledge about them that will contribute to a better understanding of the men who created the stamps of the 19th century. It is a "between" world not often travelled by philatelists or paper money collectors, but there have been a few trailblazers, and I am getting a huge kick out of walking in their footsteps. Perhaps someday we can revive something like the Essay-Proof society and again build some bridges between the two hobbies. That is a hope of mine.