Lot 2009

1836 (May 16), Crespino to Ferrara, disinfected folded letter, with commercial contents, carried to the postal agency in Polesella, on the northern bank of the Po, crossed the river-frontier north of Ferrara at Ponte Lagoscuro, where it was quarantined and struck on reverse with circular "PONTELAGO / NETTA FUORI / E / DENTRO", two largely intact Papal Arms wax disinfection seals below, these recorded used only in 1836, further signs of disinfection with vinegar, fine.

The devastating 1836 outbreak, part of the Second Global Cholera Pandemic, paralyzed the Italian peninsula and claimed tens of thousands of lives in major hubs like Naples and Sicily. The crisis sparked widespread social unrest and "poisoning" conspiracy theories.