Who Was The Originator And Inventor Of The Adhesive Postage Stamp?

A piece of paper just big enough to bear a stamp with glutinous wash on the back describes the concept of the postage stamp (1836).
In 1837, the stamp as a piece of paper bearing an image was proposed.

Therefore, you could argue the originator and inventor are two different persons.

The concept of some image that evidenced prepayment came from Charles Whiting, but that was mostly the concept of a stationary item.

Abner Doubleday. Oh wait, that was baseball......

Went with Mr. Chalmers. All evidence suggests that he was first in the endeavor. Not the first time that the more promoted personage was given credit for something which they did not do. (looking at you Edison)

Chalmers for me.
It took a Scot, as usual.


Cover not mine.

Does he count? He had the idea, proposed it and was shot down:

Lovrenc Košir

In 1835, the civil servant Lovrenc Košir from Ljubljana in Austria-Hungary (now Slovenia), suggested the use of "artificially affixed postal tax stamps" using "gepresste Papieroblate" ("pressed paper wafers"), but although civil bureaucrats considered the suggestion in detail, it was not adopted. The 'Papieroblate' were to produce stamps as paper decals so thin as to prevent their reuse.

The self adhesive stamp was made by someone, after paid working time trying to defeat stamp collecting.

James Chalmers
wiki
His most burning enthusiasm, however, was postal reform, and from 1825 he campaigned the authorities to speed up the mail between Edinburgh and London by convincing them that this could be done without extra cost. After several years he managed to induce a time saving of nearly a day in each direction.

In December 1837, he sent a letter outlining his proposals to Robert Wallace, MP for Greenock. Furthermore, he submitted an essay for a proposal for an adhesive postage stamp and cancelling device which was dated 8 February 1838. This also contained illustrations of one penny and two-pence values. He did not favour the use of an envelope for a letter, as each additional sheet incurred an additional charge. Instead, he proposed that a "slip" or postage stamp could seal a letter.

Robert Wallace started the process. In 1835 Charles Whiting came up with something that resembles postal stationary. In 1836, Rowland Hill proposed to use a piece of adhesive paper that could be stamped. In 1837, James Chalmers went that step further and proposed an adhesive that already evidenced pre-payment.

The British being British, it could very well be Rowland Hill was aware of the proposal by Lovrenc Košir mentioned by Parcelpostguy. The Brits will then happily claim it was their idea.

James Chalmers, if only because in Britain you only counted if you were part of the establishment.

Nothing like a robust debate.
Personally, I like to think Chalmers was the one, but really, I have never read
all the evidence, "invented" is a cloudy verb. From what I have read,
Rowland Hill should certainly be applauded for pushing the Penny Post through.
Most inventions come from many inspirations.

I haven't really given it much thought before.

That is, until I read this nice little pamphlet, which is in the public domain:

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epu...-images.html

Hence, the inspiration for this poll...

John

Wow!
Interesting piece, shall take some reading.
Thanks so much for bringing this to our attention.

Don't ask me how I arrived at this below
I had always recalled Steve Jobs was the inventor of the computer mouse
from watching a DVD years ago, and Bill Gates pinched the idea.

After googling yesterday, I found neither was true
It has been either my poor memory, or incorrect info from the DVD.
Chinese whispers?

3M?