Marie-Noelle Goffin

It seems to me, from my study of stamp engravers so far, that there seems to be very few female stamp engravers. I consider this such a shame. There are just as many talented female artists out there as there are men. This got me to wondering: how many female stamp engravers have there been over time? Well, I haven't been able to answer that yet, but I have found a couple of wonderful engravers in my search. The one engraver who stands out to me so far is Marie-Noelle Goffin from France.

Marie-Noelle Goffin began her training at the School of Fine Arts in Rouen. During her studies she decided to specialise in engraving. In 1962 she received a National Engraving Diploma, which earned her a scholarship to study for a year at the School of Fine Arts in Amsterdam. Marie-Noelle then went on to teach at the school of Fine Arts in Lilie for 26 years. She has also worked for the French Post since 1976.

On 11 October 1976 the first Marie-Noelle Goffin stamp was issued in France. The subject of the stamp was Theirs, a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. As mentioned above the stamp was designed by Goffin, and it was engraved by Eugène Lacaque.  The design is fantastic.

***

In 1977 Goffin designed and engraved her first stamp for France, showcasing the Collegiate Dorat. It was part of a set of six tourism stamps.

***

Over the years Goffin has engraved some 70 odd stamps for France and several for the French Colonies. Below is a small sample of some of the beautiful stamps she engraved for France. As I continue to collect her stamps, I will feature them on this blog.

***

This first example is from 1985.

***

Here's a beauty from 1992.

***

This one is from 1996. I love the sense of depth in this design.

I'd like to thank my stamp friend Natalie for kindly allowing me to use her lovely stamp images.

Until next time...

Stay Engraver Crazy!

France 1953 - Tour de France

What famous race began as a result of a rivalry between two newspapers? If your answer is the Tour de France, then you are absolutely right! It all started on 20 November 1902 at a crisis meeting at the offices of the  French newspaper L'Auto. The newspaper had been struggling with stagnating sales, and all the while their rival newspaper Le Vélo was dominating the news stands. Naturally the backers of L'Auto were rather unhappy with the situation. Something had to be done...

Enter one  Géo Lefèvre, the 26 year old chief cycling journalist for the paper. He had a radical idea based on the knowledge that cycling races sell lots of papers. That being the case, why not host a cycle race, a race larger than anyone had ever seen? If this audacious idea should work, then perhaps L'Auto may just match its rival in newspaper sales, or even better, put its rival totally out of business! After more excited meetings L'Auto announced the race on 19 January 1903. After much debate, a format for the race was finally agreed upon. The race was to be run over 19 days, commencing on 1 July. 

On 1 July some 80 competitors lined up outside the Café Reveil-Matin in the village of Montgeron for the very first Tour de France. The race commenced at 3:16 pm on 1 July 1903. It goes without saying that L'Auto featured the race on its front page that day. After a gruelling race where only 24 of the 80 entrants finished, the title of winner went to Maurice Garin (pictured below). 

And it should be noted that sales for the newspaper L'Auto doubled due to the race. So it was a cracking success. Not only that, its continued popularity has ensured its longevity. The race still runs annually with competitors from all over he world vying for a place on the winner's podium.

***

On 25 July 1953 France issued a stamp celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Tour de France. The stamp was designed and engraved by Albert Decaris.

The design of this stamp is fantastic. In the centre of the stamp we see a map of France with the course for the Tour de France plotted out. The space within the roughly circuitous route has been used for the title of the stamp. Flanking the map of France are two cyclists. The cyclist on the left is wearing clothes consistent with the early years of the race. Perhaps this is the winner of the first race, Maurice Garin. The cyclist on the right is a 'modern' rider from the 50's. 

Until next time...

Stay Decaris Crazy!

Austria 1948 - Friedrich von Schmidt

Friedrich von Schmidt was born in Frickenhofen, Gschwend, Württemberg, Germany on 22 October 1825. Von Schmidt was a gifted artisan. For many years he worked as a guild worker, participating in the construction of Cologne Cathedral, where he gained a tremendous amount of experience. In 1856 he passed the state examination to become an architect. He then moved to Milan where he taught architecture and was involved in the restoration of the cathedral of Sant'Ambrogio. In 1859 he relocated to Vienna. It is in Vienna where one can find some of his most impressive architectural feats. One of his crowning achievements was the design of the Vienna City Hall, pictured below. It was built in the Neo-Gothic style. 

Friedrich von Schmidt died on 23 January 1891, aged 65.

***

On 5 June 1948 Austria issued a set of 7 semi-postal stamps. The highest value of the set depicts Friedrich von Schmidt. The stamp was engraved by Hans Ranzoni. 

What drew me to this stamp was the beard and the wonderfully engraved moustache. The textures are vivid and the depth of the beard is believable. I really must one day compile a virtual collection of engraved beards.

Until next time...

Stay Engraver Crazy!

France 1953 - Publishing & Bookbinding

On 6 May 1954 France issued a set of five stamps to celebrate French artistic industry. One of the stamps really captures my imagination. It is the 30f value stamp, which pays homage to publishing and bookbinding. This stamp was designed and engraved by Pierre Gandon. And it is fabulous.

There are two focal points to this stamp. Standing in the shadows in the background is the Institute de France, which was established on 25 October 1795 by the French Government. In the foreground we see a pile of nicely bound books. One book is open, revealing a lovely illumination within. Below is a close-up of the open book.

The combination of the dark, enigmatic building brooding in the background and the stack of books packed with mysteries of their own, sitting and waiting to be read, to reveal their secrets, makes this stamp both charming and loaded with intrigue. This is a definite favourite in my burgeoning collection of books and printing on stamps.

Until next time...

Stay Engraver Crazy!

Monaco 1967 - European Migration

In 1951 a committee, initially known as the Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants from Europe (PICMME), was formed to attempt to deal with the chaos of the displacement of millions of people as a result of World War II. Its purpose was to assist European governments identify countries for the potential re-settlement of some 11 million people uprooted from war-torn countries. During the 1950's it managed to re-settle over a million people - an incredible achievement in my view. The committee has undergone several name changes over the years. In 1952 it became the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM). In 1980 to the Intergovernmental Committee for Migration (ICM). Then in 1989 it changed to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The IOM also deals with the resettlement of people displaced by natural disasters. Click HERE for more on this great organisation.

***

On  28 April 1967 Monaco issued a stamp to publicise the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM), which on the stamp uses the acronym CIME. This stamp was engraved by Albert Decaris.

As far as design goes, this stamp is excellent. The graphics are simple, elegant, and speak volumes. The spirals suggest controlled, successful migration - to me at least.

Until next time...

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Omnibus 1953

The date of the Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation was 2 June 1953, and it was expected of the Crown agents to produce a postage stamp design for use in 62 territories of the Commonwealth. This issue was designed and engraved at Bradbury Wilkinson & Co. The engraver was Robert George Godbehear. The mammoth task of printing the vast number of stamps required fell on the shoulders of De La Rue.

As fantastic as this design was, not all the territories of the Commonwealth used it. Many simply didn't bother to produce Coronation stamps. Four territories - Bahrain, Eastern Arabia, Tangier and Kuwait – overprinted the British Coronation stamps. Eleven other territories including Australia and Canada used their own Coronation designs. Indeed Great Britain chose its own designs, but that's another story.

So where did this design come from? 

Before we answer that question let us break down this lovely stamp into its constituent parts. It was decided that this stamp be dual coloured, therefore two plates were required. The ‘key plate’ design which was the centre-piece of the stamp was based on a portrait of the Queen by Dorothy Wilding. Another Wilding portrait was used for the early Great Britain QEII definitives. This 'key plate' was uniformly printed in black.

Close-up of  'Key Plate' design

The second plate, known as the ‘Duty Plate’ created the frame of the stamp. The ‘Duty Plate’ contained the name of the territory and the denomination of the stamp, therefore 62 different sets of ‘Duty Plates’ were required. Also, within the sixty-two territories thirty different colours were used for printing.

Arrows point to the 'Duty Plate' 

So let us now return to the question: Where did this design come from? To answer that we need to look towards Grenada, particularly the definitive issue of 1953. The designers at Bradbury Wilkinson & Co. used this beautiful design as the basis for the Coronation Omnibus issue...

But it doesn't stop there. The Grenada 1953, indeed also the KGVI 1951, issues were based on an earlier, and lovely, design from the reign of Queen Victoria. In 1861 Grenada issued its first postage stamps bearing the colony name. The issue was stunning!

Before I sign off, here is an example of a Coronation Omnibus Plate Block from Falkland Islands Dependencies to feast your eyes upon.

Until next time...

Stay Engraver Crazy!

France 1950 - Francois Rabelais

A physician. A scholarly monk. A fantasy writer. A bawdy song and joke composer. These couldn't possibly be the talents of just one man...right? Well, if your answer is yes, then you haven't heard of the colourful French Renaissance humanist, Francois Rabelais. And if the above list wasn't impressive enough, Rabelais was considered such a powerful writer that the word "Rabelaisian" has been coined to describe writing "marked by gross robust humour, extravagance of caricature, or bold naturalism" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).

It somehow seems fitting that such an interesting character have enigmatic origins. There is some dispute over exactly when Francois Rabelais was born. Some say he was born as early as 1483, but the most likely time of his birth was in November 1494. The place of his birth is also uncertain, but he was probably born near Chinon in the Touraine where his father, a lawyer, worked.

Rabelais' education began when he entered the Franciscan Order of monks. There he studied Greek and Latin as well as science, philology, and law. He eventually left monastic life to study medicine at the University of Poitiers and at the University of Montpellier. In 1532 he moved to Lyon to practice medicine. Here, he also edited Latin texts. In his spare time he wrote and published humorous pamphlets. Using the pseudonym Alcofribas Nasier - an anagram of his name - he wrote Pantagruel. This book was to become the first of his Gargantua series, for which he became famous.

I'll end this brief description of the life of Francois Rabelais with the now famous words that he penned in his will: "I have nothing, I owe a great deal, and the rest I leave to the poor". He died in April 1553. 

***

On 26 June 1950, France issued a stamp in honour of the remarkable Francois Rabelais. The stamp was designed and engraved by Albert Decaris.

Decaris has done a fantastic job capturing the humorous nature of Rabelais. Just look at that cheeky grin and the penetrating gaze. We just know he is formulating some witty yarn to dazzle his readers.

Until next time...

Stay Decaris Crazy!

Ivory Coast 1936-1944 - Definitives

Between 1936 and 1944 Ivory Coast issued a large set of 41 definitives comprising 4 different designs. One of the designs, used for 15 of the stamps, was engraved by Albert Decaris. It's possible he also designed the image, but I'm not sure yet. This was the third design Decaris engraved and one can see the burgeoning of a great artistic talent.

The image Decaris designed depicts a coastal scene. This design was issued over five printings between 1936 and 1944. And 8 different colours were used. I recently purchased a set of the Decaris design, but I discovered the set is missing 3 values unfortunately. I guess I'll have to keep hunting for the 3 missing values. Nevertheless. the 12 stamps I received are absolutely fantastic. They are so nice, I decided to show them all here.

***

In 1936 six values were issued.

Red Brown

Dark Violet

90c carmine rose (stamp not available yet)

Dark Green

Copper Red

1f 50c ultramarine (image not available yet)

***

Two values were issued in 1938.

Black Brown

Carmine Rose

***

One value was issued in 1939.

Dark Green

***

Four values were issued in 1940.

Carmine Rose

Red Brown

Ultramarine

Black Brown

***

One value was issued in 1944.

Greenish Black

Until next time...

Stay Decaris Crazy!

Canada 1933 - Royal William

SS Royal William was launched on 27 April 1831. She was a Canadian side-wheel paddle steamship named after the ruling monarch, William IV. She has been sometimes credited with the title of first steam ship to cross the Atlantic almost entirely under steam power, only using her sails when the boilers required maintenance in 1833. Although,  this seems to be an erroneous credit, since two other vessels had already made the crossing utilising steam-power technology; the Curaco in 1827 and the SS Suvannah in 1819.

In 1933 Canada issued a beautiful stamp to commemorate the 100th anniversary of her Atlantic crossing. This stunning stamp was engraved by Bruce Hay. The stamp depicts the Royal William ploughing through the tumultuous waters of the Atlantic. We can see she is running umder steam as her sails are noticeably furled. This stamp contains so much life that if one were to stare at it quietly the wind and the sounds of the ocean can be almost heard. Well, almost!

Until next time...

Stay Engraver Crazy! 

Australia 1913 - 1d Engraved Issue

In 1911 the Australia Post Office conducted a competition to find a design for a uniform Commonwealth of Australia stamp series (a mere 10 years after Federation. Better late than never, I guess!). The winner of this competition was Herman Altmann, who submitted several designs for the competition. The design featured King George V flanked by a kangaroo and an emu. Above the king were placed the badges of the six states.

However, the Postmaster-General at the time, C.E. Frazer, rejected this design. As far as he was concerned, the design was not "Australian" enough. He refused to have a stamp issued with the king's head upon it. He also wanted a stamp that would work as an advertisement for Australia overseas. He had a simple stamp featuring a kangaroo designed. Accordingly, the first Australian stamp was issued in January 1913, the now famous, or infamous in some circles, Kangaroo and Map.

This stamp was ridiculed right from the word go. Monarchists hated the fact that the king was missing. And many people thought the kangaroo too simplistic compared to the elaborate stamps of the day. I personally like it, but who knows what I'd have thought if I'd been around when it was issued.

A few months after the "Kangaroo and Map" stamp was issued, there was a change of government in Australia, and the new Postmaster-General immediately set in motion the process of creating a stamp series featuring the head of King Gorge V. In fact, he planned to scrap the whole kangaroo and map series, but that plan, thankfully, never panned out.

Designer R.A. Harrison returned to the winning Altmann design and modified it to be suitable for an engraved stamp. So after all this rigmarole, Australia's first stamp featuring King George V was issued on 9 December 1913. The stamp was engraved by Thomas S. Harrison. And I think it is a stunner. Notice the vertical engraving lines on the hair. This was unusual for engraved stamp portraits.

***

Unfortunately the engraved 1d King George V stamp lasted for less than a year. On 17 July 1914 the first of the iconic King George V letterpress side-face definitives appeared in Post Offices, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Until next time...

Stay Engraver Crazy!

Monaco 1964 - 5th Monte-Carlo International Television Festival

My first ever true love was television. I grew up spending every moment of my spare time watching my favourite TV shows and movies. TV is just as important to me now, just perhaps not my true love any more (that position is now otherwise taken)! I hadn't been collecting Albert Decaris engraved stamps for long before I came across a couple of TV related stamps he engraved; one for France and one for Monaco (I believe that is all). In this blog I shall study the stamp issued in Monaco.

***

The 1964 Monte-Carlo International Television Festival stamp was issued in Monaco on 3 December 1964 to celebrate the fifth festival to be held in 1965. This lovely stamp is bordered by a curtain, which gives the overall composition a cinematic feel. The eye is then drawn to the bottom left of the stamp where Decaris has quite ingeniously placed a television with the stamp's title on the screen. Behind the TV is one of Monaco's primary tourist attractions: The Rock of Monaco. 

***

The Monte-Carlo Television Festival was founded in 1961 and based in Monaco. It was created by Prince Rainier III of Monaco as a festival and a competition for television productions. Rainier III saw this new technology as a way to bring cultures closer together and enhance their knowledge of each other.

At the end of the festival the prestigious Golden Nymph awards are held (a bit like the Oscars). Winners of the various categories receive a Golden Nymph statuette, which are copies of the Salmacis Nymph created by the sculptor François Joseph Bosio, the original of which is on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Until next time...

Stay Decaris Crazy!

Newfoundland 1923 - Humber River

In 1923 Newfoundland issued a stunning set of eleven pictorial definitives. A further two stamps in this series were issued in 1924. In this blog I'm going to focus on one stamp in particular from this set. The 4 cent Humber River. I chose this stamp because it was the first ever Newfoundland stamp from the King George V period to catch my eye. 

***

The 4 cent Humber River stamp was issued in 1923. It was designed by Archibald Gribb and engraved by Leonard Vincent Phillips. The caption beneath the image declares "A quiet nook..." And I think this sense has been captured beautifully. The tree detail is breathtaking.

***

This stamp was based on a photo by Robert Edwards Holloway. Holloway developed an interest in photography from a desire to understand how the process worked. Suffering from Tuberculosis, he used photography as a form of therapy. He travelled many time through Newfoundland capturing numerous glass-plate negatives. He had a book published entitled Through Newfoundland with a Camera which contained over one hundred of his images. I'm not certain if the photo that this stamp was based on was in this book. I did, however, find a copy of the actual photo.

Until next time...

Stay Engraver Crazy!