This envelope, signed in the upper right corner by Representative James Buffinton, is an example of the use of the “franking privilege.” The Member’s signature substituted for a postage stamp, a custom that began in Congress in the late 18th century. The recipient, Philip Tripp, was from Buffinton’s Fall River, Massachusetts, where the congressman was born, lived, and to which he returned after his retirement from Congress just a few days after posting this letter.
