Women Mostly Sitting

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt for Woman at Work

2013: Europa - The Postman's Van

Postie at work in Ilulissat, West Greenland, some lucky person is getting a parcel.  This article on covers from Greenland's philatelic postal centres has a photo taken from where the post van is parked.

This looks like a production line for the popular Dinky toys, made by Meccano, today highly collectable.  The company also  produced mechanical construction and Hornby train sets.  After numerous take overs the Liverpool factory closed in 1979.  Today different kinds of Meccano sets are made in France and China.

Female workers using comptometers, Vickers Armstong, 1950s

A human computer, workers using comptometers, the first key driven machine for adding and calculations. High speeds were attained by skilled operators.  Vickers Armstrong, an engineering, shipbuilding and armaments company, after many changes today operates as BAE Systems, the UK's largest manufacturer.

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

The Write Stuff

 

2008: Nobel Prize Diploma

Dario Fo was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997 which was welcomed by some in Italy but condemned by others, such is the hazard of satirizing and pointing the finger at politics, religion and inequality. He said he spent his life whipping up jolly storms through "freedom of opinion and happiness of expression through rage and laughter".

1951: 15th Anniversary of the Death of Maxim Gorky (1868-1936)

Another politically active writer but who could also win a best mustache contest. Clear eyed he said

"Politics is the soil in which the nettle of poisonous enmity, evil suspicions, shameless lies, slander, morbid ambitions, and disrespect for the individual grows rapidly and luxuriantly. Name anything bad in man and it is precisely in the soil of political struggle that it grows with particular liveliness and abundance".

1998: 900th Anniversary of the Birth of Hildegard of Bingen, Prioress  (Vision of Life Cycle)

The woman who was, as the Bible encourages us to be, in the world but not of it. Hildegard, abbess and polymath. Writer, composer and mystic. The stamp shows an illuminations from 'Scivias', a book of her religious visions It is unknown if she painted them herself or oversaw their creation. 

Sunday Stamps - Authors, Poets of Composers - 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

Explorers

 

1934: Jacques Cartier - 400th Anniversary of 1st voyage to Canada

Jacques Cartier setting out to eventually arrive and explore the St Lawrence River and in the process name a country Canada.

1963: Martin Frobisher

 Martin Frobisher set out to find the North West Passage to the Orient. Like Cartier he would try to finance his expeditions by finding gold but both would have been wise to take a geologist with them to avoid disappointment when they arrived back with little of value.

1982: Birth Centenary of Sir Douglas Mawson

Jumping forward in time enter a geologist Douglas Mawson but his motivation was adventure and scientific knowledge however the famous 1911 Australian Antarctic expedition turned into a horror show, of which he was the only survivor. His book 'The Home of the Blizzard'  gives a vivid account of this experience.

1983: Explorers and Discoverers

The interior of Australia is unforgiving. The German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt successfully travelled there twice but he and his companions disappeared on his third expedition never to be found. He is remembered for his extensive natural history collection and notes.

Robert O'Hare Burke and William John Wallis became the first Europeans to cross Australia north to south in 1861 however it was not the most professional of expeditions and they died during their return but entered Australian mythology as "heroic failures".

Sunday Stamps theme this week - Mustaches for movember - explore more at See It On A Postcard

Market

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt in search of markets or cafes...

This week is another opportunity to show one of my London Transport Museum cards and this time we are 'Simply' heading for the markets, of which there are many in London.  The artist is Andrew Crocker who is an English landscape painter who also produces allegorical portraits. Another of his works commissioned by London Transport was 'Docklands' which can be seen here but it was never used.

I have always thought this was a postcard of a market but of course on closer inspection, despite the crowds, it is not and actually shopkeepers selling their wares inside as well as outside.  Could I claim this as cafe as it seems we have a couple enjoying the advertised Nettle Drink al fresco while smiling at the photographer.  The place is the coastal village of Heysham which also has a ferry port nearby which likes to call itself  'Gateway to the Irish Sea'.  I would date this postcard to the 1950s and has at least two postcard buying opportunities, a display stand on the left and a 'postcard shop' sign on the right. 

Hold on to Your Hats

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt is in search of hats..

"When the Heart is young"

 

A breezy day on the beach and one person is making sure that her hat will not blow off.  She should have used hat pins. I have one of my grandmother's long hat pins and it looks as though it could also double as a lethal weapon.   The postcard was sent from the seaside resort of Blackpool in August 1909 from Amy to her friend Miss A Bodkin and tells her that they were enjoying themselves immensely as is this happy crowd.

"He doesn't see me yet"

I was sent a set of these cards published by Atkinson Bros in Toronto featuring a lot of hats and poses mainly worn by this young women playing peek-a-boo.

PHQ 2011: Centenary of the First UK Aerial Post "Gustav Hamel receives first mailbag"

Of course I have to feature a postman's hat and there would be postcards in his bag for this test flight from Hendon Airfield to Windsor carried commemorative cards and envelopes.

Uniforms and Horses

 

1997: All the Queen's Horses (Design - Jean Luc Benard)

I thought I would combine horses and uniforms this week. Apart from the Queen's horses this issue also celebrated the British Horse Society whose patron was the Queen, famous for her love of horses  (and dogs). We even have the names for these horses 20) - a carriage horse (and uniformed attendant) was a Windsor Grey called St Patrick, 26) a horse of the Lifeguard regiment, Thompson 43) Blues and Royal's drum horse Janus, and lastly 63) the Duke of Edinburgh's horse Janus

1974: Definitives - Royal Militia Uniforms

A little less grand but with a long history are the Guernsey Militia who were unpaid volunteers loyal to the British Crown who defended the islands from foreign invaders. Here, from the 19th Century, are two Royal Guernsey Artillery Field Battery men an officer (50p) and a Driver (20p)

s

Entering at a gallop a Cavalry Trooper of the Light Dragoons

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - Uniforms - See It On A Postcard

In Sunshine and in Rain

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt  this week is - Formal or Fancy Dress

Wimbledon 1967 by Tony Ray-Jones

Here is a card that never fails to amuse me.  Tony Ray-Jones (1944-1972) had the idea to survey the English at leisure for a book that was eventually published posthumously after his untimely death.  This photo is also one that later appeared in a 2014  exhibition 'Only in England' featuring work by two influential photographers Tony Ray-Jones and Martin Parr and where I picked up the postcard.

Southport for a Holiday in Wintertime by Fortunino Matania c1935

A flurry of snow in the seaside resort of Southport.  I collect postcards featuring the golden age of railway travel posters and this painting is one that was used in the 1930s to encourage travelers to take a winter break in Southport. The original oil painting is held by the Atkinson Art Gallery and Theatre in Southport.

Amsterdam Central Station c1935 by Willem L Bouwmeester

Also in 1935 Willem Bouwmeester painted this scene. of  a well dressed crowd waiting for the arrival of their train in the rain.  A painter of landscapes he was also fascinated by trains and railways. The Railway Museum in Utrecht hold a small collection of Bouwmeester 's drawings and paintings

Take the High Road

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt this week takes a look at streetwear and here

Photo - Jean-Daniel Sudres; Illustrations - Jean-Pierre Arcile

is where raditional costumes and streetwear together with photography and art  meet in this postcard of the Rue du Port, somewhere in Brittany, France.

View Indicator, Douglas Park, Largs

I do lover an orientation table and from this viewpoint over the Firth of Clyde the islands of Arran and Bute and lots more will be seen. The postcard was sent in 1980 so I'm thinking 1970s or late 60s fashion.

Scotland Its Highlands and Islands "Off Staffa"

Going back further in time once again traditional and 'modern' dress is combined in this railway poster of the 1920s/30s encouraging travel to Scotland. The poster invites the reader to contact David MacBrayne Ltd whose ferries still ply the islands and islands (now trading with the name Caledonian MacBrayne) and still sailing past the basalt island of Staffa and the famous Fingal's Cave although our travellers seem to be distracted elsewhere. 

Great Lives

 Thursday Postcard Hunt is on Inspirational Thoughts and I start with a writer

"Don't Be afraid of BIG ideas!"

who had lots of radical Big Ideas but then Mary Shelley was the daughter of  Mary Wollstonecraft and Stanley Godwin who also had lots of big ideas.

"Stand up for what you believe"

An  activist who believed in deeds not words - Rosa Parks was not going to give up her seat on the bus.  This led to the 382 day Montgomery Bus Boycott and eventually down the road a Supreme Court decision that bus segregation was unconstitutional. 

There is no mention on the cards to the illustrator however I think it may be the Ukrainian children's book illustrator Yulia Zolotova as my Google search turned up a series of books by Mary Nhin called 'Mini movers and shakers' which has an illustration of a similar style.  I like to think the book cover of Rosa Parks was the 'before' and this postcard the 'after'.

Gift Bearers

 

1985: Christmas Gift Bearers (Design - Clive Abbott)

Christmas is a time of gifts both spiritual and secular.  Here are some potential visitors - 

1.Santa Claus a universal gift bearer. 2.Scandinavians adopted the Italian Saint Lucia (Lussibruden) as a symbol of light and she comes with a crown of candles arriving on the 13th December with a song, coffee and cake. 3.The first of the three wise men - Balthazar bringer of myrrh. 4. In the Netherlands Siinterklaas - Saint Nicholas is the gift bearer and being wise he doesn't live in the North Pole but in the warmth of  Spain. Arriving in Amsterdam by steamboat on 23rd November (this will give him time to collect children's requests)  he embarks on a festive canal tour then journeys by horseback through the city.  The Present Evening parties will take place on the 5th December and the saint will spend the night time distributing the presents which will be laid out on a table to be found by children on the morning of the 6th December

1.The children in Italy wait until the 6th January for their gifts from the witch known as La Befana, stockings full of  sweets for the good children and coal for naughty ones. 2. Denmark's Father Christmas is Julenisse assisted by his sprites. 3. In Germany  an angel leaves the household's presents. Christkind rings a silver bell just before she leaves. 4. Good King Wenceslas (patron saint of the Czech Republic). The carol tells us he set out in deep snow on St Stephen's day to bring succor to a poor peasant.

1.France is blessed with several Christmas gift bearers but in the south of the country around the Provencal village of Les Baux, the midnight mass is enlivened by the arrival of a shepherd bringing the gift of a lamb for the baby Jesus 2. For that same baby Caspar brings frankincense 3. In Russia the Baboushka, leaves children toys in a basket 4. Melichior, the giver of gold

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - Christmas or Hanukkah - See It On A Postcard 

Santa Calls

 Thursday's  Postcard Hunt is on the theme of Santa Claus so here he is arriving

with a full sleigh because he is close to home in Greenland. The little girl looks happy with her presents of a ball and a doll. This is one of my favourite cards because the little girl's clothing is embroidered with long stitch and also has a nice cancel on the stamps

although the musk ox does seem to be disappearing into the 'snow'.  The card was posted to the Cragg Family in 1972 from Willy sending them "just a little Christmas greeting and a good new year".   

Military Moustache

 Sunday Stamps theme this week is - Moustaches

2010: Battle of Britain Pilots

 

and if one is looking for them then a good place to start is the RAF.  This set of stamps commemorated the pilots who fought a desperate battle over the skies of Britain in 1940 to prevent the German Air-force gaining air superiority over the English channel as a prelude to an invasion.  Churchill famous speech at the time said "never was so much owed by so many to so few" Happily the two pilots - Bob Stanford-Tuck (1916-1987)

and Mike Crossley (1912-1987) lived to tell the tale.

1993: Roman Britain

The Emperor Hadrian never took took the skies but did leave the lasting monument of Hadrians Wall, Rome's northern frontier.  The bronze head was dredged up from the River Thames near London Bridge in 1848 and had been hacked off from the body of a lager than life sized statue. This is one of a handful of bronze portraits of Hadrian to have survived from antiquity. As the British Museum curator commented "Hadrian, apparently aged around 30, is clearly recognisable from his incipient beard, moustache and distinctive physiognomy"

Cinema

 

2008: Ingmar Bergman (Design Gustav Martenson; Engraving Martin Morck)

A photo of the filming of 'Fanny and Alexander' directed by Ingmar Bergman which often features in 'Greatest Films of All Time' listings.  I have never seen the film but did watch the mini-series which was eventually turned into a very long film.  One of the things I remember about it is colour, but I do like film black and white stills

2008: Ingmar Bergman (Design Gustav Mårtensson; Engraving Lars Sjööblom)

Bergman died on the small island of Fårö where many of his 60 films were made, he wrote the scrip for 'Fanny and Alexander' there but filming took place on location in Uppsala.  At the time he intended it to be his last film and indeed was a massive undertaking which he thought he would not have the energy (mentally or physically) to do again.

1996: Century of Cinema

I can remember the first film I saw as a child and happily that cinema is still going strong as indeed is this  - the Odeon in Harrogate built in 1936. Architecturally it is in  'Streamline Moderne' style. The Odeon group were known for all their buildings being different, not all of them survive.  The film still is from 'Lady Hamilton' also known as 'That Hamilton Woman' released in 1941 starring Laurence Olivier as Admiral Nelson and Vivien Leigh as Emma Hamilton. Directed by Alexander Korda with his brother Vincent as Art Director

1999: Millennium - The Entertainers' Tale (Illustrator: Ralph Steadman)

 

Lastly we go back to the early days of cinema with Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977), one could almost start a mini-collection from the number of countries who have issued Charlie Chaplin stamps over the years.

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - Black and White - at See It On A Postcard

 

Sherlock Holmes

 

1993: Sherlock Holmes (Design - Andrew Davidson)

The "games afoot" with Sherlock Holmes.  I know the received wisdom is that collectors don't like addressed FDCs but I am not one of them for it tells of a journey when a collection is broken up and moves on. What better person to have on a Sherlock Holmes cover than a retired army officer.  In imagination he could be a friend of Dr Watson or would he be "a person of interest" in one of  Holmes cases?

The stamps have one letter of the alphabet on each which spell out the name Doyle

Here Holmes and Watson are joined by Lestrade from Scotland Yard who would have his own suspects and also those who the police think might have been involved in a crime but they do not have enough evidence - a 'Persons of Interest' He learned to work with the great detective who would always find the evidence.  Holmes brother Mycroft is introduced to readers in 'The Greek Interpreter' and of course nothing would be complete without Holmes arch nemesis Professor Moriarty. Famously Conon Doyle tried to kill off Holmes in 'The Final Problem' but had to bring him back due to public demand.

2013: Great Britains

Royal Mail did issue a Conon Doyle stamp as part of their "Eminent Britons" set in 2009 but I do not have it so here instead is Peter Cushing who played Holmes in a 1960s TV series which I've never seen, although I have seen him in the Hammer film "Hound of the Baskervilles" on numerous occasions. He was joined by another Hammer favourite, Christopher Lee, who appears as Henry Baskerville and indeed would later go on to play Holmes himself. My own personal favourite is the Jeremy Brett version of Holmes in the  TV series of the 1980s/90s

2020: Sherlock (Design - Karolis Stautniekas)

This mini sheet features stories that Doyle ranked among his favourites and have not appeared on GB stamps before. It was issued with a set of stamps featuring the TV series "Sherlock", a modern retelling of the stories with Dominic Cumberbatch playing Holmes.

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - Persons of Interest -  See It On A Postcard