Joseph Osmond Barnard
Copyright © Peter Ibbotson
Joseph Osmond Barnard was born in Portsmouth, England in the year 1816. He arrived in Mauritius in 1838. A year later he married a young woman of Dutch origin. An advertisement in a local newspaper Le Cernéen of March 9, 1839 described Barnard as a miniature painter and engraver.
Although he had little experience in engraving miniature portraits, his attempts to engrave the Queen's head were surprisingly successful. The one penny orange-red and the deep blue two pence, "Post Office" stamps engraved on copper plate by Barnard were put for sale on September 22, 1847.
Lady Gomm, wife of Governor Gomm used the first issue of the "Post Office" stamps to frank her invitations for the fancy dress ball of September 30, 1847.
Barnard died in the year 1865 at his Sugar Estate, purchased in 1862 near Grand Port.
A postal ordinance dated January 1847 was discovered by Major Evans in his researches on the island in the late 1890's which included a reproduction of Barnard's famous estimate for the famous " Post Office " issues.
| Estimates of the expenses of the
undermentioned Blocks and engraving for the use of the Mauritius General
Post Office.
Letter labels for One penny & Two pence per tho-.........................................................................10.0 Engraving plated for Do-............................................................................................................10. 0.0 12 Letter stamps with move- able dates and names of Stations @ 24/-....................................................................................14. 8.0 12 Paid Stamps-6/-....................................................................................................................3.12.0 12 Free Do.- -6/-.......................................................................................................................3.12.0 12 Too Late.-8/-........................................................................................................................4.16.0 1 Stamp Penny Post-.....................................................................................................................10.0 Stamps 1 to 14 @ 3/-ea..............................................................................................................2. 2.0 20 Badges for Post Men @ 20/-................................................................................................20. 0.0 £59.10.0 Total Of Estimate Fifty Nine Pounds Ten Shillings Port Louis Nov. 12th 1846 J.O.Barnard |
