Topical: The Moustache

FRANCISCO DE QUEVEDO (1580-1645)

Spanish nobleman, politician and writer of the Baroque era.

Spain 1945 (engraved by Jose L. Sánchez Toda)




Spanish Sahara - 1960


Portrait painted by Velazquez :

Happy Birthday to Sir Wilfred Thomason Grenfell, KCMG (1865-1940), an English medical missionary to Newfoundland and Labrador. Here is an image of a stamp depicting Grenfell on the the medical vessel Strathcona II nearby an iceberg, designed by Canadian artist Harvey Thomas Prosser, engraved by Yves Baril (vignette) and Gordon Mash (lettering), printed by Canadian Bank Note Company, Ltd., and issued by Canada on June 9, 1965 to commemorate the missionary's birth centenary, Scott No. 438, plus a photograph of Sir Wilfred Grenfell.

- nethryk

Happy Birthday to Alejandro Lerroux y García (1864-1949), a prominent Spanish republican politician and diplomat who served three times as his country's prime minister. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Lerroux, designed by Spanish artist and engraver José Luis López Sánchez Toda (1902-1972), printed by photogravure (Waterlow & Sons, Ltd.), and issued by Spain on February 14, 1936 as one of a set of 16 stamps commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Madrid Press Association, Scott No. 560, plus an image of a photograph of Alejandro Lerroux.

- nethryk

Happy Birthday to Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841-1935), an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1902 to 1932, and is one of the most widely cited Supreme Court justices in US history. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Holmes, designed by Richard F. Hurd, engraved by Joseph S. Creamer, Jr. (vignette) and Howard F. Sharpless (lettering), and issued by the USA on March 8, 1968 as one of the "Prominent Americans" series of stamps, Scott No. 1288, plus a photograph of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. in 1902.

- nethryk

These two guys had similar moustaches, one was famous and the
other infamous.

CZECHOSLOVAKIA
Scott 1588



POLAND
Generalgouvernment

Scott N90



Chaplin in his 1940 film The Great Dictator
portrayed a ridiculous idiotic Hitler.


NB: Replaced missing images

Happy Birthday to Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898)! Nicknamed the "Iron Chancellor" of Germany, Bismarck employed both masterful diplomacy and decisive warfare to bring about the unification of the German states (excluding Austria) into the powerful German Empire, under Prussian leadership, in 1871. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Bismarck, designed by Rufolf Gerhardt, printed by lithography, and issued by (West) Germany on April 1, 1965 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Iron Chancellor's birth, Scott No. 918, Michel No. 463, plus an image of a photograph of Otto von Bismarck.

- nethryk

Happy Birthday to Josef Mánes (1820-1871), a Czech artist who produced paintings in many genres, including landscapes, portraits, and ethnographic and botanical studies. Here are images of the two similar stamps in a set featuring a portrait of Josef Mánes, designed by Karel Svolinský, engraved by Jindra Schmidt, and issued by Czechoslovakia on November 28, 1953, Scott Nos. 627 & 628.

- nethryk

Happy Birthday to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938), a Turkish army officer, revolutionary, and the first President of Turkey. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Atatürk, printed by photogravure (Courvoisier, S.A.), and issued by Turkey on November 11, 1939, Scott No. 836, plus an image of a 1923 photograph of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk wearing a Turkish style kalpak hat.

- nethryk

Happy Birthday to Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833), a Bengali Indian social reformer who is best known for his efforts to abolish the practice of sati, the Hindu funeral practice in which the widow was compelled to sacrifice herself on her husband's funeral pyre. For his efforts to protect Hinduism and Indian rights. Roy is known as "the Father of the Indian Renaissance." Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Roy, printed by phototgravure, and issued by India on September 27, 1964, Scott No. 391, plus an image of a full-length painted portrait of Raja Ram Mohan Roy which probably served as a model for this stamp's design.

- nethryk

Happy Birthday to Cecil John Rhodes DCL (1853-1902), a British businessman, mining magnate, and colonialist politician in Southern Africa. Cecil Rhodes was the founder of the territory of Rhodesia, which was named after him in 1895, and of the Rhodes Scholarship, funded by his estate. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Rhodes, designed by Mrs. I. Mount after a detail from a painting of him by British portrait artist Sydney Percy Kendrick (1874-1955), engraved and printed by Waterlow & Sons, Ltd., and issued for use in Southern Rhodesia on June 3, 1940 as one of a set of eight stamps commemorating the 50th anniversary of the founding of Southern Rhodesia, Scott No. 58, plus an image of the original painting of Cecil Rhodes by S. P. Kendrick.

- nethryk

José Pablo Torcuato Batlle y Ordóñez (1856-1929) served three terms as president of Uruguay. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of the politician, printed by photogravure, and issued by Uruguay on December 5, 1956 as one of a set of four stamps commemorating his birth centenary, Scott No. 624, plus an image of a photograph of President Batlle y Ordóñez which was the model for this stamp's design.

- nethryk

Happy Birthday to Joaquim Aurélio Barreto Nabuco de Araújo (1849-1910), a Brazilian diplomat, statesman, writer and a leading advocate of the abolitionist movement in his country. Here is an image of an engraved airmail stamp featuring a portrait of Nabuco attired in court dress, and issued by Brazil on August 30, 1949 to commemorate the diplomat's birth centenary, Scott No. C77, plus an image of a photograph of Ambassador Joaquim Nabuco, at age 53, which was probably the model for this stamp's design.

- nethryk

Happy Birthday to Milton Snavely Hershey (1857-1945), an American confectioner, philanthropist, and founder of The Hershey Chocolate Company and the "company town" of Hershey, Pennsylvania. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Hershey, designed by American artist Dennis Lyall, engraved by American caricaturist and engraver Richard Baratz, and issued by the USA on September 13, 1995 as one of the "Great Americans" series, Scott No. 2933, plus images of a photograph of Milton S. Hershey c. 1905, and of a first day cover bearing this stamp. Note: Stamp printed in chocolate brown - sweet!

- nethryk

PS September 13 is International Chocolate Day!

COLOMBIA
Three XIX Century moustached Presidents + one General

Registered Mail from Banco de Colombia Roldanillo (Valle) Branch to Florencia (Caqueta) Branch; received at Florencia Post Office on August 22nd 1981, 23,00 COP postage, featuring:

President José Maria Obando, General (R), in charge of office 1831-1832, elected 1853-1854, Liberal Party.

President Jose Hilario Lopez, General (R), elected 1849-1863, Liberal Party.

President Manuel Murillo-Toro, Lawyer, elected 1864-1866 + 1872-1874, Liberal Party.

The above belong to the first series of Colombian Presidents, 1981; Leo Temprano Catalog No. 1496, 1497, 149; 750.000 pieces each.

The fourth stamp depicts General Rafael Uribe Uribe, a liberal military leader during the "1.000 days war" waged between 1900-1903 that weakened Colombia to the point a US secession of Panama was sucessfully instrumented, allowing President Theodore Roosevelt to claim "I took Panama". 1979; Leo Temprano Catalog No. 1427; 500.000 pieces issued.