Happy Birthday to Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer whose political ideas influenced the Enlightenment in France and across Europe. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Rousseau, designed by French artist Michel Ciry (1919- ), engraved by René Cottet, and issued by France on November 19, 1956, Scott No. 814, Y&T No. 1085, plus an image of a painting (1753) of Jean-Jacques Rousseau by French Rococo portraitist Maurice Quentin de La Tour (1704-1788) which may have been the model for this stamp's design.
Happy Birthday to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944), a French writer, poet, and pioneering aviator best remembered for his philosophical novella Le Petit Prince ("The Little Prince"), which was ostensibly written and illustrated as if it were a children's book. Here is an image of an airmail semi-postal (charity) stamp featuring a portrait of Saint-Exupéry and depicting an airplane flying over mountains, designed and engraved by Pierre Gandon, and issued by France on January 21, 1948, Scott No. CB1, Y&T No. PA21, plus images of a photograph of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and of the cover of Le Petit Prince.
Happy Birthday to French novelist and memoirist Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin (1804-1876), best known by her pseudonym George Sand. Here is an image of a semi-postal (charity) stamp featuring a portrait of the author, designed and engraved by French artist Paul-Pierre Lemagny (1905-1977), and issued by France on June 15, 1957, Scott No. B316, plus an image of a photograph of George Sand which may have been a model for this stamp's design.
Here is an image of a semi-postal (charity) stamp featuring a portrait of Swiss philosopher, writer and lawyer Karl Hilty (1833-1909), designed and engraved by Swiss artist and engraver Karl Bickel (1886-1982), and issued by Switzerland on December 1, 1959, Scott No. B287, plus a photograph of Karl Hilty which may have been (sans spectacles) the model for this stamp's design.
Happy Birthday to Emily Jane Brontë (1818-1848), an English writer and poet who is best known for her only novel, Wuthering Heights (1847), now considered a classic of English literature. Here is an image of a stamp depicting Emily Brontë and a scene from her famous novel, printed by photogravure, and issued by Great Britain on July 9, 1980, Scott No. 917, plus an image of a detail from portrait of the author by her brother, English painter Patrick Branwell Brontë (1817-1848), which was surely a model (in mirror image) for this stamp's design.
Happy Birthday to José Milla y Vidaurre (1822-1882), a Guatemalan writer known primarily for his historical novels about life in colonial Guatemala. Milla was well-educated and expert concerning his country's idiosyncrasies, its history and its customs. Here is an image of an engraved airmail stamp featuring a portrait of the author, and issued by Guatemala on September 28, 1945, Scott No. C134, plus an image of a photograph of José Milla y Vidaurre which was probably the model for this stamp's design.
Arvid Järnefelt (1861-1932) was a Finnish writer, journalist and judge best known for his realistic and psychologically insightful novels, short stories and memoirs. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Järnefelt, designed by Finnish artist Olavi Vepsäläinen (1927-1993), engraved by Reijo Achrén, and issued by Finland on November 16, 1961 to commemorate the author's birth centenary, Scott No. 386, Facit No. 545, plus an image of a photograph of Arvid Järnefelt.
Romain Rolland (1866-1944) was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 "as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary production and to the sympathy and love of truth with which he has described different types of human beings." Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Rolland, and depicting a church (which may be a reference to Rolland's last novel La Cathédrale interrompue, "The Disrupted Cathedral," 1943-45), designed by Lennart Forsberg, engraved by Arne Wallhorn, and issued by Sweden on December 10, 1975, Scott No. 1151, Facit No. 951, plus an image of a photograph of Romain Rolland in 1915 which was surely a model for this stamp's design. Bonus: Moustache.
Happy Birthday to Russian writer and philosopher Count Lev (Leo) Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828-1910)! Here are images of the two similar stamps in a set featuring a portrait of Tolstoy, designed by Jirí Horník, engraved by Jan Mrácek, and issued by Czechoslovakia on December 29, 1953 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Leo Tolstoy's birth, Scott Nos. 631 & 632, plus a YouTube video link to the official trailer for a 2012 film adaptation of one of Tolstoy's most famous novels, Anna Karenina, starring Keira Knightley.
Happy Birthday to Franz Viktor Werfel (1890-1945), an Austrian-Bohemian novelist, playwright, and poet who is primarily known for his two novels The Forty Days of Musa Dagh (1933), based upon events that took place during the Armenian Genocide of 1915, and The Song of Bernadette (1941), about the life and visions of the French Catholic Saint Bernadette Soubirous. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Werfel, designed by Austrian artist Helga Herger (1954- ), combined engraved by Kurt Leitgeb and photogravure, and issued by Austria on September 11, 1990 to commemorate the novelist's birth centenary, Scott No. 1516, plus a photo of Franz Werfel taken in 1940 by American photographer Carl Van Vechten (1880-1964).
Herman Melville (1819 – 1891) wrote the classic American novel Moby Dick (1851), a whaling adventure which is regarded as one of the greatest literary works of all time. US Postal Service issued a 20-cent commemorative stamp honoring Herman Melville on August 1, 1984, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, the setting for his novel Moby Dick. The First Day of Issue ceremony was held at the Whaling Museum there.
Happy Birthday to Anagarika Dharmapala (1864-1933), a Sri Lankan Buddhist revivalist and writer. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Dharmapala, printed by photogravure, and issued by Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) on September 16, 1964 to commemorate his birth centenary, Scott No. 373, plus an image of a photograph of Anagarika Dharmapala.
Jack London (1876 – 1916) was a famous American writer, journalist and novelist of the early 20th century. His relentless energy and mastery of storytelling skills enabled him to produce more than 50 books. Among his best-known works are the novels The Call of the Wild, White Fang, Martin Eden, and The Sea Wolf. US Postal Service issued a 25-cent stamp featuring Jack London on January 11, 1988 and booklets (6, 12, and 20 stamps per booklet) on May 3, 1988.
Edgar Allan Poe (1809 - 1849) was an American poet, editor and author of short stories, most famous for his dark and morbid themes. Among his best-known works were fictions The Fall of the House of Usher and The Tell-Tale Heart and poetry The Raven and Other Poems. A more recent gravure stamp of Edgar Allan Poe was issued by U.S. Postal Service on January 16, 2009 to mark the 200th anniversary of his birth.
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Posted 06/28/2015 08:47 am
