This commemorative souvenir of the offiicial opening of the Empress Docks in 1890 is evidence of the fine art of coloured lithography or chromolithography. It suggests the esteem with which the recipient, Thomas William Shore, was held and carries with it the assumption that this notable Hamsphire historian would cherish and preserve an artefact of the event. The reverse of the envelope includes a lovely embossed stamp of the Southampton Dock Company
