Dancers

 

1959-1965: The Copenhagen Festivals

Here Margrethe Shanne (1921-2014) dances in the ballet "La Sylphide", which she performed over 100 times, loved because of the ethereal and supernatural feeling she brought to the role.  The first Danish ballet dancer to appear on a stamp it was issued for three of  the Music and Ballet Festivals in May 1959, 1962 and 1965.

1976: 5th International Ballet Festival, Havana

Canto Vital (Vital Song), not one I am familiar with but apparently it is danced to the rondo of Mahler's 5th symphony and choreographed for male dancers. From one ballet dancer

1989: Ballet - The Art of Dance

to two

and four.

1979: Birth Centenary of Jacob Gade

For non professional ballet dancers but mere mortals this may be one of the ways to dance.  The stamp celebrates the  music of Jacob Gade (1879-1963) famous for his tango 'Jealousy', originally an instrumental but the lyrics we know today were created at a later date.

Sunday Stamps A-Z - here for Denmark and dance - See It On A Postcard 

Military Siege

 

1993: 350th Anniversary of the Siege of Castle Cornet (Design - Clive Abbott)

Scenes from the English Civil War. Castle Cornet was a Royalist stronghold however the population of Guernsey were for the Parliamentarians, they called on the Lieutenant Governor to surrender but he fired on them.  The population were not equipped to storm the castle as they discovered after one abortive attempt. The defensive batteries around St Peters Port originally built to protect Guernsey from the French directed their fire at Castle Cornet.  The guns on the castle fired back. Today archaeological excavations regularly find musket and canon balls fired from the castle.  Cornet was supplied by ships throughout the Civil War which were sent by the Lieutenant General of Jersey.  I liked the story portrayed on the 28p stamp of the three local officials who were tricked aboard one of the enemy ships thinking it was one of their own but the captain had switched sides. Imprisoned for 43 days they managed to escape by making a hole in the wooden floor to the room below where they found a supply of flax which they made into ropes and escaped.

The FDC shows the three shields of Castle Cornet's commanders, Osborn was disliked by both the population and his own side however on surrender Burgess, the last Governor, and his men, were allowed to march out bearing arms and leave the island at the end of the siege in recognition of their humane treatment of prisoners. Here is the story from the FDC insert...

taking us to the present day...

 Sunday Stamps theme - Military - See It On A Postcard

Imaginative Women

 

1980:Europa - Victorian Novelists (Design - Barbara Brown)

The 1980 Europa theme was famous people and GB featured two Bronte sisters. Charlotte gets the CEPT logo and the  12p first class letter rate

Emily gets the versatile 15p for heaver letters both first and second class.  I don't have the other two writers featured on the set who were George Elliot (Mill on the Floss) and Elisabeth Gaskell (North and South).

2011: Magical Realms

The versatile Tilda Swinton,as the White Witch/Queen in the film 'Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'. If you want other worldly she's your woman.   From flights of the imagination to

2003: Extreme Endeavors (Design - H Brown)

a record breaking aviator, the FDC shows  Amy Johnson's solo flight from London to Darwin, Australia in 1930. She  hoped to set  a record flight time but missed it by three days however her adventure propelled her into the press and public's imagination. She went on to set records for Siberia to Tokyo and London to Cape Town. In 1940 she joined the RAF Air Transport Auxiliary but while on a mission disappeared over the Thames Estuary in January1941. The cancel is from her home town of Kingston Upon Hull. Her flights however were from, at the time, the only international airport in the country Croydon Aerodrome (a large part of aviation history). Croydon's Aerodrome Hotel celebrated their 75th Anniversary with this FDC.

The hotel makes an appearance on the reverse of the envelope as it would have looked in the 1930s.

Sunday Stamps theme - Famous Women - join one at See It On A Postcard

Year of the Snake

 

2025:Year of the Snake (Artist - Jo Davies)

This year's Lunar New Year is one of the Wood Snake. The snake is perceived as having a dual nature representing danger but also good fortune, light and dark. Because snakes shed their skins it is also associated with transformation and rebirth.  Wood adds the elements of nurturing and growth.  The Isle of Man's FDC insert gives us Jo Davies' inspiration of the elements contained in the stamps.

Moving from the ethereal to the natural world

1989: Endangered Reptiles

and a grass snake (I'm guessing the endangered designation refers to Hungary). On the other hand Orsini's Viper are a rare species (also called Meadow Adders) which are found in France, Italy and much of Eastern Europe.  Although snakes are fascinating to me

these lizards are more endearing  - Sand Lizard and Green Lizard 

Sunday Stamps theme - Snakes and Reptiles - See It On A Postcard

Birds

 

2004: Migrating Birds

On last week's Sunday Stamps a lone bird flew past a lighthouse so here is the rest of the set with views of Alderney.

The FDC illustration increases the number of Yellow Wagtails to three, one of my favourite birds.

1988: Birds

Meanwhile in Bulgaria it is dinner time with a Yellow-legged gull and White Stork

A fishy treat for a Grey Heron, Peter Rabbit meets his end with a Goshawk and the Eagle-owl has found a country mouse.

Sunday Stamps is looking at birds - See It On A Postcard

Illustrators

 

2013: Winter

An attention to detail and design of this FDC is to be expected from Jetta Frolich whose company is famous for creating Christmas designs and decorations in Denmark.

These are the first stamps she had ever designed (at the time aged 73) and she explained her choices of subjects - the Christmas rose was inspired by Selma Lagerlof's short story  Legend of the Christmas Rose and when thinking about her childhood skating came to mind. The robin is a reminder to us all not to forget the birds in winter.

1978: Europa - Monumental Buildings (Design E 1Clemmenson; Engraving Czeslaw Slania)

Winter is a good time to retreat indoors on dull days and play with stamps.  Here is a Stamp Day cancel of 1979 using the previous year's Europa theme which featured the 17th Century Jens Bang House in Alborg and  the plan and front elevation of Frederiksborg Castle in Copenhagen

1986: Hafnia 87 (|Design - M Stage; Engraving Czeslaw Slania)

There were 4 mini sheets issued for the run up to the 1987 Hafnia International Stamp Exhibition. Mini Sheet number 2 is on the theme 'Postal Means of Transport' featuring a Holstein carriage circa 1840, an iceboat on the Great Belt (a strait between the major islands of Zeeland) circa 1880, the first Danish mail van 1908 and the first Danish air service 1919.

Sunday Stamps theme this week - Illustrations - See It On A Postcard

Ocean View

 

1993: Christmas

I've always loved the calligraphy and sentiment on this FDC. The quote is from "End of the Golden Summer" a coming of age drama set in one long New Zealand summer by the playwright Bruce Mason which he toured as a solo performer all over New Zealand. It would become a ensemble play and later a film. The play is set on the fictional beach of Te Parenga but was actually written at Takapuna where it is now performed every Christmas Day. 

1993: Christmas (Designer - Kristine Cotton)

The stamps show a view of a New Zealand Christmas when the weather is warm, the schools and universities are out for the longest holiday of the year and it is time to head for the beach. The stamps show Christmas baubles, presents, sailing-boards and yes a Christmas tradition the British settlers brought with them steamed Christmas Plum Pudding, just what you need on a baking hot day!

1964: Health Stamps

 
New Zealand have issued many bird stamps, a tradition starting in 1988 with an emu. These are the only two I have that feature a beach where of course there will be gulls, these are Red Billed Gulls. Like their Herring Gull cousins I suspect they will not pass up the chance of a piece of Christmas pudding, or anything else vaguely edible. The Little or Fairy Penguin on the other hand is on a more healthy seafood diet.

Sunday Stamps asks for - A Favourite - See It On A Postcard

Glass

 

1987: Sir Isak Newton

A flask of water refracting light

1993: Christmas

St Aubin on the Hill church whose light shines through the stained glass windows.

These musical angels were created by Henry Bosdet. There are three of his windows in the church.

Sunday Stamps theme -glass - See It On A Postcard

Postal Heads

 

1990: 150th Anniversary of the Penny Black Stamp

Roland Hill's idea of a uniform postage rate no matter what the distance introduced the penny stamp and opened the world of written communication to everyone

1974: 100 Years of the UPU

The story continued with the founding of the Universal Postal Union in Bern. Eugene Borel (who was head of the Swiss postal department) chaired a congress of 22 countries. As thanks he was gifted a silver tea set by the conference participants. The silver platter was engraved with the ideals of the new organisation. (The tea tray and other UPU history here). Borel visited

1997: Founder of the UPU - Heinrich Von Stephan

the well regarded German postal official Heinrich Von Stephan (general postal director for the German Empire) in Berlin ahead of the congress.  Stephan  is now considered the father of the UPU but had begun his illustrious career as a postal clerk in the Kingdom of Prussia, what a journey. He also introduced the postcard to Germany and the telephone.

1988: 300th Anniversary of the Postal Service

Here is a happy postal scene. The UPU turned 150 this years, Finland became a member in 1918 soon after they became an independent country in 1917.  

Sunday Stamps theme is - Headshots - See It On A Postcard

Public Buildigs

 

1970: Football World Championships

The impressive Stockholm City Hall, the tall tower is the one nearest the water (Lake Malaren) and is topped by the three crowns, Sweden's national symbol.

1980: 50th Anniversary of the National Hospital

If unlucky enough to be in hospital this looks to be a very pleasant place to stay. I think the building has been preserved but today there is a new National Hospital that dwarfs this one in size and no doubt equipment.

1988: Centenary of Urania Science Museum

This stamp shows both the old and new buildings of the Urania Science Museum in Berlin.

2000: Opening of Singapore Post Centre - History of the Central Post Office

The only way to end is with some post offices. The official launch in 2000 of the new Singapore Post Centre gave them the opportunity to celebrate their buildings from the

first in the 1800s when Singapore welcomed its first mail steamer but as volumes of post increased a new building was required and the General Post Office was built in 1897.

The GPO moved to the new Fullerton Buildings in 1928, which was also when the first airmail flight was dispatched from Singapore.  The mail sorting operation was eventually moved in 1998 to a new facility and then the shiny new SingPost Centre opened in 2000

Sunday Stamp theme - Public Buildings - visit  See It On A Postcard

Agriculture

 

1941: Agricultural Development Plan

Surrounded by war  neutral Switzerland started their battle of self sufficiency with the Whalen Plan in 1940, its aim was to increase areas of cultivation in every available piece of land digging up sports fields and gardens. It is sometimes referred to as the 'Battle of the Fields'.  Before WW2 Switzerland imported 70% of its food from abroad, by the time it had ended the potato harvest had tripled, cereal doubled and vegetables quadrupled and with this bounty it managed to feed the entire Swiss population and 300,000 refuges. Switzerland was so successful that it became the only country in Europe that did not need to ration potatoes, vegetables and fruit.

1947: Allied Occupation Zones definitives

Once the war was over thoughts turned to reconstruction, the stamps of the sower and harvester were part of a set showing occupations that would work for that purpose and peace doves for hope. These stamps were used in the British, American and Russian occupation zones.

1965: 75th Anniversary Belgium Farmers Association

Another horse pulled plough, always a favourite motif for stamp designers

1950-54: Occupational Activities and Views

Iceland shows off its dramatic scenery with a tractor

2016: World Stamp Show 'NY16', Javits Center

Meanwhile a Guernsey cow is enjoying the sunshine, sometimes called the 'Golden Guernsey' due to its own and the milk's rich colour. The link with the New York exhibition cover is that Guernseys were first imported into the United States by two schooner captains in the 1830s and 1840s and would become the basis of the American Guernsey herd.

1993: Occupations - Cheesemaker

Happily where there is milk there is also cheese.

Sunday Stamps theme of - Agriculture - crops are growing at See It On A Postcard

Sports

 

1956: Sports (Design - Raoul Seres; Engraver Charles-Paul Dufresne)

The sevens version of rugby appeared at the Olympics (the French won gold)

and basketball is yet to be decided

but Basque pelote was only an official sport at the 1900 Paris Games where only two teams took part, France and Spain, in essence  the Basque Country.  So lets find some more small countries

2015: 15th Island Games (Photographs: Andy Le Gresley)

The first of what would become the  Island Games were first arranged as part of the Isle of Man's International Year of Sports to offer sports people the opportunity to compete against islanders of a similar standard. 700 islanders from the British Isles, Mediterranean, St Helena, Iceland and Scandinavia travelled  to take part.  It was such a success that the competition now takes place every two years with various islands playing host.  2015 was the second time Jersey had hosted the games and it welcomed 3000 competitors and 1000 officials.  Between 12 and 14 sporting events are selected by the host island. As you will notice the 14 sports chosen  all have a postcard rate to send a card home.

Handball

The Faroe Islands, who hosted in 1989, had a special combination of postcards and stamps.

Sunday Stamps theme this week - Sports - See It On A Postcard