Postage stamps and postal history of France
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This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of France.
First stamps
[edit]Second Republic
[edit]The first stamps of France were issued on 1 January 1849.[1] They were designed by Jacques-Jean Barre. The medallion depicts the head of goddess Ceres facing left.
In 1852 a new series of definitive stamps were issued, retaining the inscription "REPUB FRANC" but replacing Ceres with the head of Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte.
Second Empire
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Napoleon-laure-1c.jpg/220px-Napoleon-laure-1c.jpg)
In 1853, after proclamation of the 2nd Empire, the inscription was changed to "EMPIRE FRANC", while retaining the head of Napoleon III in the medallion.
Starting in 1862, a new type of definitive stamp was introduced. It depicts the head of Napoleon III with a laurel wreath and the inscription changed to "EMPIRE-FRANÇAIS".
The Napoleon stamps remained in use until the fall of the 2nd Empire in 1870.
Third Republic
[edit]The Ceres series stamps, in a slightly different design and printed in lithography, were reintroduced in 1870 and remained in use until 1876. In 1876 a new design of definitive stamps was introduced. It was designed by Jules Auguste Sage and displayed an allegory of Commerce and Peace.
See also
[edit]- Ceres series (France)
- French post offices abroad
- Peace and Commerce issue
- Navigation and Commerce issue
- Postage stamps of the French colonies
References
[edit]- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-06-25. Retrieved 2011-07-29.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Retrieved 23 September 2010
Further reading
[edit]- Hoisington, William A. (Jr) (Spring 1973). "Politics and Postage Stamps: The Postal Issues of the French State and Empire 1940-1944". French Historical Studies. 7 (3): 349–67. doi:10.2307/286219. JSTOR 286219.
External links
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