Envelope from JMB Reynolds to Rev. A. P. Putnam

Hi ... I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'is this real?'

What I can tell you is that you can do a lot of things to learn more about your cover. Don't laugh, I call it the COVERS technique (smile).

C ... Be curious, give it a once over to see what you've got. You've done that and you're curious. It 'looks' like a commercial cover from Boston to Chicago with a US stamp.
O ... Now, observe. Really look at the details. The company that sent it used a buff envelope with an embossed stamp with their company name and their street address in Boston. There is a red receiving cancel from Boston dated February 14 (no year). An obliterator was used on a three-cent US stamp with an image of Benjamin Franklin. It looks like it was sent to Rev. A. P. P[?] care of what appears to be a lawyer in Chicago. Someone, a dealer or previous collector has added a pencil notation on the bottom left with the date 1861. Can't see the back. It would be nice to know if there was an arrival cancel in Chicago ... and when. Or, any other marks. 
V ... Now, verify everything. Look up the stamp in a catalogue. When was it issued? How long was it valid? Check the perfs to confirm it's the right stamp. Look up the postmark and the obliterator. Check out the business in Boston. Old city directors (often online) can be used to find the business and / or the street address. At the very least, is it a real address? Check it out on Google street view. Get a magnifying glass and work out the name of the addressee and the name of the lawyer. Search for information about them. This will help you learn more about whether the business and the people are 'real' ... and, help date the cover. 
ER ... Extend your research. Does the business still exist? What happened to them. What can you find out about the people. Ancestry.com can often help. When were they born? How long did they live?  What else can you find out? What did the company do? How might the reverend be connected with the company? Family, an heir?  What kind of law did the lawyer practice?
S ... stands for Story. Finally, put it all together. What story does the cover tell? What story can you tell about it?

The more you learn about something ... the more 'real' it is (smile).

Just my opinion but, in my experience, people don't generally forge covers that don't have much value. What profit is there in that? It's a lot of work unless there is a payout. But, if it is fake, it's by examining the minute details that it will all fall apart. (The Judge Judy technique).

Cheers ... have fun and keep stamping. 

Here is the back
It was cancelled on feb. 14th ( Valentine’s day)

Good night. Thank you again. I’ll post more like this.

wael4979,

I know of a George Haven Putnam who was associated with the New England Free Trade League. The movement of this league in New England was to abolish slavery and to heavily support free trade.

One reference confuses me , why do you mention “Peter Pan” in the heading for this thread ?

I see no connection , what am I missing?