The first friction matches were invented in 1826. by John Walker, an English chemist and apothecary. They quickly caught on in the United States as an easy way to light lamps fueled by whale oil, which were much more reliable and neater than candles. Different chemicals were used to provide a surface that would catch fire when struck along a rough surface.
White phosphorus was commonly used in matches during much of the 19th century but it posed a danger because of a tendency to ignite when exposed to air. The discovery of red phosphorus (which is actually white phosphorus that has degraded) in the 1850's provided an alternative but white phosphorus continued to be used for much of the 19th century.
White phosphorus posed health risks for employees at match factories. In 1888 the London match girls strike raised awareness of the health risks to women working in match factories.
American entrepreneurs, looking to make a profit from the need for matches, invested in the industry and the race was on.
Matches were one of the proprietary products taxed by the Federal government, along with patent medicines, playing cards, and legal documents. Because of the proliferation of match manufacturers the government allowed for proprietary stamps to be designed and produced by manufacturers with the official approval of designs.
In typical grandiose 19th century style manufacturers of matches put their engraved portraits on the proprietary stamps to mimic U.S. postal stamps. The heroic portrait stamps of match manufacturers, posing as if they were U.S. presidents or war heroes, creates a small but colorful subset of U.S. postal history. They took advantage of the tax requirement and turned it into a way to enhance their advertising. Below is a sampling of these stamps.
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| E. K Smith used Benjamin Franklin's portrait with his own name! |
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