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Earliest Zamorano Imprint

The Earliest Known Papel Sellado (Sealed Paper) Printed in California (printed between Jan. 31 and May, 1831)

Rubricated by Gov. of Alta California Manuel Victoria and Juan Bandini

A rare discovery: an example of the earliest printing from Alta California: a sheet of sealed-paper printed on Agustin Zamorano's Mexican hand press - the same press used to print Figueroa's famous Proclamation of January 16, 1833 (now lost). The present 1831 document has been filled out on the recto in manuscript at Monterey on July 15, 1831. It excuses a cavalry soldier based at San Francisco due to an incurable illness. On the verso...

El Ciudadano Manuel Victoria, Inspector y Comandante Gl.

Howell described another example of this Californian papel sellado, apparently from the same print run:

The exciting discovery of the first dated California imprint was announced by John Howell at the April 21, 1931 meeting of the California Historical Society. The earliest example of California printing known previously had been Figueroa’s Proclamation of January 16, 1833 [now lost]. This item was printed on the same Mexican hand press used by Zamorano for the Proclamation.

Manuel Victoria assumed the governorship of Alta California on January 31, 1831; overthrown by a revolt in which Bandini took part, he left California on January 17, 1832. Following an interregnum during which Zamorano himself led a counter-revolt, Figueroa was appointed comandante general on April 17, 1832, and arrived in Monterey in mid-January, 1833. - Howell.

According to Zamorano's biographer, George L. Harding:

Sealed-paper (papel sellado) is a means of giving formality and validity to legal documents that is common to the Latin countries... The use of this paper was required for all documents possessing the slightest legal character... The variety of sheet, and its cost, to be used for a particular transaction was determined by its nature and the amount involved. Such paper was required to be used for wills, depositions, many kinds of commercial transactions... Such paper for use in California was originally supplied from Mexico and was held for sale at the Comisaria Subalterna at Monterey. It was not long before shipments of this paper from Mexico failed to arrive and the Comisaria at Monterey was forced to supply its needs locally... To each sheet these officers signed their rúbricas. When printing became available locally, the headings on the sealed-paper were printed... sealed-paper was the chief product of both the printing press and the small equipment in use before its arrival.

The printing equipment we are now discussing produced the first sealed-paper printed in California.The first paper to be printed localled was habilitated for the single year 1831. The reason why none was printed for the year 1830 is not clear. It may have been that it was feared the local printing of such paper would injure its legality and that permission to use the local printing equipment in its production was obtained from Mexico before any was printed.

The earliest form of locally printed paper that has been found reads, Sello Quarto De Officio [sic]. Habilitado provicionalmente por la Comisaria principal de la álta [sic] California para el año de 1831. Vicitoria. Bandini.  - Harding, page 188.

Harding refers to another sheet of the same style of papel sellado with manuscript completion executed on May 15, 1831, thus it is reasonable to suggest that the present sheet, with manuscript was also part of that printing.

Rarity and Importance

Robert Greenwood's classic bibliography of California imprints does not describe examples of California printing before 1833, and explicitly omitted sealed paper. The earliest Zamorano imprint in the landmark Streeter Sale date from 1834; Streeter owned a total of nine Zamorano imprints.

Another example of this papel sellado was listed in Howell's landmark 1979 Catalogue 50, devoted to fine Californiana, but that example was executed in manuscript a later, on August 3, 1831.