Streeeetching toward the end of this week. In this late 1800s photo from our @nationalpostalmuseum's collection, a young boy reaches to put his letters into a Doremus-style mailbox. Inventor Willard D. Doremus patented the design in 1889. The Doremus mail collection box (or letterbox, as they were known in the 19th century) was a common sight on American city streets from the 1890s through the early 1900s. But the boxes weren't very strong, and the lip covering the letter slot could break easily, letting in rain, or in this case, snow.