The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-01-15
STRANGE FURNITURE COVERING
A Million of Stamps Representing All
Parts of thew orld.

There has just come to light in Binghamton,
N Y, the most wonderful collection of
stamps which any ono ever heard OF. Not so
much does the oddness lie in the stamps them
selves as in the method of arrangement.
There are So, ,00J of them, and they completely
cover every portion of bedroom set, con-
sisting OF bedstead, dresser and chairs. The
stamps are secured 10 the set with the aid Of
glue, and then covered with heavy spar
varnish. The stamps can be washed .instheir
present condition without injury.
This curio of collections is owned by Mrs
George Wilson of iol Vestal avenue, Bingham
ton, N. Y. The beginning of this strange col
lection dates back many years. The first
chair of the set that was decorated was owned
by a colored family in Virginia in the middle
Of the last century.
Since this ancient relic of colonial days has
been adorned in the unique manner, seven
other articles'of furniture haveireceived sim
liar treatment, until now the whole forms one
of the moss peculial results OF the curio col
lector's art that Is extant
Included in the tiny specimens of stamps
which conceal every vestige of wood work
about the furniture which they adorn are
stamps from everywhere the international
postal system regns, and several places where
no exchange OF mail matter has vet been
agreed upon All these are arranged in man
ner quaint as the idea itself. Ii must not
be supposed that Mrs. Wilson'S patriotism is
of SO light an order that she would permit
any other than the stamps of the United
States TO be in the majority. There are the
faces Of every President who has been allowed
TO be made a sample OF the steel engraver's art
from Washington down.
There are old stamps which most people
have forgotten ever existed-stamps only
known TO the stamp collector, as a rule, and
WHICH would be valuable by themselves. There
are estampss.thatij ijourneyod about in the crazy
postal conveyances which carried the mail
that was not Uncle Sans during the day 5
when the civil war waged reentlessly. Then
there are stamps OF the days when the mis-
sives from southern battle fields to northern
homes brought both Joy and sorrow-the lat
ter quite as often as the former. There arc
one or two stamps that were used when Cali.
fornia was the golden gate to so many fortune
seekers. The nations history. is plastered all
over this furniture.
There is no particular method OF arrange
ment of this nearly million stamps. Noble
and peasant are side by side and the COM
monest bit of postage evidence is just as likely
TO have position of honor as the big piece of
gummed paper with two figures on it. Evil
IDENTIFY Mrs Wilson believes with the poet,
that rank is but the guinsa's stamp.
OF the foreign specimens of postal necessi-
ties there are very many, and as odd they
are numerous. The queer looking dark colored
affair that comes from the land of the Cos
sack and of Tolstoi seems strangely out Of
place lodged for life bit Of wood in q
town where the very essence OF freedom is IN
the air itself. Properly enough, there nestles
close to the reminder of the Little Fathers
country the stately and benignant face Of Her
Gracious Majesty, on whose empire the sun
never sets. Alongside OF these two is the
jolly postal emblem of Roumnia, while the
Kaiser's youthful face looks out at you from
his neighbor that once brought a letter from
the land that is now wrenched with the tales
of Stambouloff's assassination. And from
everywhere peep at you the countenances
which European History and current events
make us familiar with.
While the fame of Mrs. Wilson's queer col =
lection has been limited to certain pre-
scribed circle in general, it has gone abroad
little, sufficiently so that Cornell University
has several times made efforts to induce her
TO accept tender made.
When the stamps were received, and they
came along in job lots, Mrs. Wilson carefully
washed and dried them, and then glued them
on after the style of crazy patchwork quilt
She proposes to retain the result OF her labors.