Brazil offers a rich architectural history – not least the magnificent array of religious buildings that have been built since it was colonised by the Portuguese in the 1500’s. Many of these splendid buildings, some of which cannot be matched anywhere else in the world, have been shown on the stamps of Brazil and further afield. We explain what a thematic collection of Brazilian churches on stamps has to offer collectors.
Eighty years ago, on 12 May 1937, King George VI was crowned at Westminster Abbey and the first stamps of his reign went on sale in April and May 1937. George VI was ‘catapulted’ onto the throne by the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII, five months earlier. Edward had reigned for less than a year, having only succeeded his father, George V, in January 1936. The coronation of Edward VIII had been fixed for 12 May 1937 and it was decided to go ahead with this date for the coronation of George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
King George VI had never expected to become King, but acceded to the throne upon the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII, in 1936 (the ‘year of the three Kings’). He turned out to be a popular monarch, having been a staunch figurehead during the years of the Second World War, and his Queen Elizabeth was also held in high regard. [Read more…]
When General Sir Herbert Kitchener was leading the campaign that would eventually reconquer the Sudan from the brutal Mahdist regime, at the battle of Omdurman on 2 September 1898, one might think that providing new postage stamps would not have been a top priority. But that is to underestimate the thoroughness of that great soldier and administrator. [Read more…]
The “Wildings” were a series of definitive postage stamps most notable for the superb Dorothy Wilding portrait of Queen Elizabeth II from which they get their name, and were in use from 1952 through to 1968. [Read more…]
Although the provision of adhesive postage stamps for use in India was considered as early as 1850, and local issues for distant Scind province were introduced by its Governor Sir Bartle Frere in 1852, no serious progress was made in the capital, Calcutta, until early 1854. [Read more…]
The Stamp Advisory Committee expressed a desire for a designer to focus on the Queen as a person, as opposed to a symbol of the Monarchy. Arnold Machin was commissioned for this work. Born in Stoke-on-Trent, he was a renowned artist, designer and sculptor, notable for his simple interpretations and designs. [Read more…]
