Month: March 2011

This is one of my all-time favorite stamps. Keep in mind that this is all done with only black ink, in a space that’s 1.5″ by .5″, and yet the detail and lighting, the sense of depth and motion is just breathtaking. Our handsome young hero, after a long night’s battle, has vanquished the dragon. He looks up to greet the dawn of a new day, free from the terror and tyranny of the dragon.

Of course, this is another stamp that’s probably best without knowing the historical context. It’s from Russia, 1921, a few years after the October Revolution and just one year before the formation of the USSR. Most likely it’s shameless propaganda, and not an illustrating a classic folk tale. No matter. It has a timeless, mythic quality that transcends its original intent to become a masterpiece of illustration.

Sometimes I’m happier not knowing the backstory of things. Here are two beautiful stamps (click the pics for larger views). The scans don’t really do them justice. They’re breathtaking in real life. And yet, they don’t make a whole lot of sense. Ecuador, a small South American country, celebrates the sesquicentennial of the US Constitution. Sure, it’s worth celebrating, but these stamps are larger by far than any other stamp published in Ecuador in 1939. They’re a five-color print job when most stamps published in the world at this were one color, occasionally two. They’re far more elaborate than any other stamp published in Ecuador at this time. They’re an order of magnitude more impressive than the US stamp celebrating the same event:

So, I don’t know if the Ecuadorians were genuinely that excited about the US Constitution, or if this was some way of sucking up to the boss. I’m glad I don’t, because I can pretend it was the former and just enjoy the stamps for the beautiful things they are.