A History of Floral Stamps

The fascinating forms of flowers have been depicted by botanical illustrators and artists for centuries. Their work has assisted with plant identification and classification and inspired beautiful designs that pay homage to plant life in architecture, furniture design and in fashion.

Stamps are another area that has welcomed floral art, sharing the beauty of botany with the world. In Australia, the first stamp to depict a flower was issued in April, 1959 by botanical illustrator Margaret Stone. Her plant of choice was the Flannel Flower (Actinotus helianthi) endemic to Australia and found in both Queensland and NSW.

A further two stamps of Margaret Stone’s were issued within the same year. The Waratah (Telopea speciosissima) in July, A symbol of the State floral emblem of NSW, as well as the Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) which remains the National floral emblem of Australia and is seen on the Australian Commonwealth Coat of Arms.

Australia is not the only country to have issued native floral stamps. Many other countries have proudly showcased their unique local flora, with floral stamps becoming a popular and growing interest for many philatelists.

Some designers and artists have taken floral stamps to the next level with some countries issuing stamps with seeds affixed.

The Netherlands issued a stamp booklet in 2007 which featured a range of flowers and included their seeds. Belgium did the same in 2010. Morocco and France followed suit in 2011.

New Zealand took a different approach and issued a ‘Grow Your Own’ series in 2017. Biodegradable stamps were embedded with seeds from various edible plants, like carrots, basil, broccoli and chives, with the intention that they would be planted by the lucky recipient. Some hiccups, however, were encountered during their launch. Due to the concealed nature of their design, those countries with strict limitations on the importation of seeds intercepted this mail and destroyed it…

Another unique floral interpretation explored by a number of countries, involved embroidered stamps. Singapore issued a series in 2009 depicting a Pigeon Orchid (Dendrobium crumenatum) with the inflorescence embroidered.

Austria also issued several embroidered stamps, like their 2005 issue, which displays an embroidered design of the Edelweiss alpine flower (Leontopodium nivale). This stamp featured an adhesive back and the design sweetly mimicked the perforations often found on the border of traditional stamps.

Although these contemporary stamp designs are quirky and ingenious, it is hard to compete with the stunning engraved stamps by Czeslaw Slania. The engraving is carried out using burins (steel cutting tools) to create an image through a number of cuts and dots. Deeper lines are cut for darker tones, thin or broken lines for intermediate tones; and fine dots for lighter colours. Slania was famous for the incredible detail he achieved through being able to cut 10 lines per milimetre, while most engravers can achieve 7 lines/mm at most.

Slania’s 55 year career, saw him designing stamps and banknotes for over 32 countries.

The history of floral stamps is long and varied, full of quirky approaches and beautiful designs. If you would like further information, be sure to have a look at the pages of www.stampboards.com

With thanks to Stampboards.com and Margaret and Yolanda Pavincich