France 1951 - Textile Exhibition

The heart of the textile industry in France was in the region of Lille. So what better place to host the 1951 International Textile Exhibition. The Exhibition was held at the Grand Palais de la Foire de Lille. This building was constructed in 1932. It was actually damaged quite badly during WWII, so the opportunity was taken to repair and renovate the building for the Exhibition.

The Exhibition opened on 28 April 1951 and it truly was an international affair with the textile industries of some 22 countries represented. The visitor could peruse textile exhibits from countries including Germany, Belgium, South Africa, Pakistan, Japan, New Zealand and Australia to name just a few. Each day boasted a different theme focusing on a particular material such as silk, nylon, rayon,wool, cotton and many others.

Perhaps the primary purpose of the Exhibition was to allow participating countries to present their own production methods, and the types of machinery and materials they utilized. For instance, Japan demonstrated how they manufacture cotton and rayon garments in a simple and cost-effective manner.

The Exhibition ran for three weeks, concluding on 20 May 1951. Judging by the number of visitors to the Grand Palais, it was a smashing success. It is said that over 1.5 million visitors attended the Expo from France and across the world.

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On 7 April 1951 France issued a stamp to celebrate the International Textile Exhibition of 1951 in Lille. The stamp was designed and engraved by Albert Decaris.

This lovely design depicts a pair of hands proudly holding a weaving shuttle for us to admire. In the background we see the shuttle at home with numerous others of its kind in a weaving loom. So just what is a shuttle? Something used for flying into space? Well, not in this instance. A shuttle is basically a tool that is used in the process of weaving yarn called the "weft" horizontally through vertical strands of yarn called the "warp". See the image below. The title of the stamp has been written in such a way as to suggest that it has been woven from the thread stored within the shuttle. Very artistic!

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While researching this subject I came across another rather cool stamp, presumably issued for the Exhibition as a label of some sort. It also features a shuttle. And I have been informed that this label was actually engraved by Pierre Gandon, one of my other primary collecting interests (thanks for the information, Adrian). You may like to check out my Pierre Gandon blog. Click HERE

Until next time...

I Muse... On My Holy Grail Stamp

We all have that Holy Grail item that we yearn to have for our collection, be it a much desired stamp, a cover, or piece of postal history. This piece for one reason or another is beyond our grasp, at least for the present!  When I started collecting Albert Decaris stamps I was truly amazed that such beautiful work could, in general, be so inexpensive and relatively easy to procure. But then I started to look at Decaris' work for the French colonies the prices started to rise. Stamps were still within my limited budget, but gathering them would be a slower process. 

Then I saw it. That one stamp that was priced so high that I never thought I'd have the chance to add it to my collection. And it just so happened to be a most beautiful stamp. A stamp that, upon laying eyes on it, I fell in love with. Isn't that always the way!!

This elusive stamp I speak of - my Holy Grail - is an Airmail stamp for Andorra. The 1957 500f blue, to be precise. This stamp, the highest value in a set of three Airmails, is listed in Stanley Gibbons for £85 mint £90 used. I know a lot of stamps these days don't achieve anywhere near catalogue value. Nevertheless, this stamp still demands a reasonably high price on ebay and Delcampe. A price too rich for me, anyway. 

Hoping to perhaps snare a bargain, I have watched many ebay auctions with growing disappointment as the prices escalated beyond my reach over and over. This became a very frustrating pattern. So much so that I had pretty much given up on ever adding this beautiful stamp to my collection. It is very true that the other two lower values in the set are the same design and much cheaper. So why not just buy one of those? Well, I could, but quite honestly it just wouldn't be that dream stamp!

I hadn't given my Andorra "Holy Grail" much thought for a while until a few days ago when I was talking to a fellow Decaris enthusiast and that particular stamp came up in the conversation. Naturally, this prompted me to embark on another one of my "fruitless searches". Or so I thought! Scrolling through the 1957 Andorra sales, I was not surprised to find nothing within my price range. 

But wait! At the bottom of the screen, in the "similar items" category, I spotted something that sent my heart rate through the roof. There it was, like a glowing beacon, beckoning me...

My Holy Grail!

Within my price range!!

I couldn't believe it. I was truly stunned. the stamp I had believed would perhaps never sit in my collection. Right in front of me. Within my grasp! Well, I am incredibly pleased to report it here that I am now the proud owner of an Andorra 1957 500f Airmail designed and engraved by Albert Decaris. Isn't it just stunning?

I Interview... Ed from Ottawa

A loyal follower of my blog, named Ed, graciously volunteered some of his time for an Albert Decaris Stamps! interview. Enjoy!

Albert Decaris Stamps!: Thank you very much for participating in my "I Interview..." series.
Ed: You are welcome.

Q: When did you start collecting Decaris stamps?

A: About 3 years ago.

Q: What drew you to start collecting him?

A: I have always collected paper ephemera and became interested in stamps. I had started a collection of German stamps and I was looking for more information and came across the 'Collecting by Engraver' posts on the Stamp Community Forum on the internet. It introduced me to Decaris as well as many other engravers.

Q: What is your favourite Decaris stamp, and why is it your favouritre?

A: If I had to pick just one it would be the S.S. Normandie passenger liner issued in 1935.

Q: Where do you usually get your Decaris stamps?

A: The internet, a local stamp shop, and a monthly stamp market in Ottawa, where I live.

Q: What references do you like using? Which is your favourite? 

A: The internet, namely the French site phil-ouest.com. Fortunately I grew up in Montreal, which is predominantly a French speaking city, so my French is pretty good.

Q: Do you remember what your first Decaris stamp was?

A: The Normandie stamp of 1935 - a used copy. Then I replaced it with a mint copy.

Q: When it comes to definitives in multiple values and omnibus issues with the same engraving, do you collect everything there is or do you collect just one example of each engraving?

A: I usually prefer to stick to one example of the stamp issue unless there is a re-release of the same design with subtle changes i.e. the Decaris Luxembourg stamp is a good example, and there are times all the other values are sold as a group, so I usually share those 'extras' with other collectors. Once you start collecting all values, it can get a bit crazy.

Q: Do you collect any other engravers?

A: Quite a few. I collect most of the French engravers, Slania, and a handful of the other European engravers as well. But my interest in engraved stamps begins to wane after the early 1980's.

Q: What are your other stamp specialisms?

A: I like First Day Covers - especially signed ones. Souvenir sheets. Cinderellas. I also like revenue stamps. The engraving of some of the earlier Canada Revenue stamps are quite ornate and spectacular.

Q: How do you store your Decaris stamps?

A: Vario-Lighthouse stock sheets that are housed in three ring binders.

Q: Do you have any collecting tips to share?

A: A lot of great examples of engraved stamps are still reasonably priced. Work within your budget. Invest in a good magnifying glass so you get a closer look at the engravers art. Better yet if you have a scanner, scan a stamp at 800-1200 dpi. You'd be amazed at the details it reveals, and at times it brings out the faults.

I'd like to thank Ed again for the interview. As always, if anyone else out there wishes to participate, please let me know in the comments.

Until next time...

France 1956 - Colonel Driant

Émile Driant, born 11 September 1855, was a Lieutenant Colonel in the French army, a politician, and he was also a novelist. Quite an interesting combination. Especially the fact that he was a novelist, which I will discuss a bit later.

Driant was groomed for a military life from a young age. In 1877 he graduated from the Saint-Cyr military academy as an Army officer in the infantry. In 1886 he went to North Africa to join  the 4th Regiment of Zouaves. He was also promoted to the rank of Captain at this time. A successful military career seemed certain. In 1888 Driant married the daughter of nationalist General Boulanger. A decision which would come back to haunt him several years later. Between 1892–1896 he worked as an instructor at the Saint-Cyr military academy, the same academy from which he himself graduated, In 1899 he was given command of the 1st Battalion of Chasseurs. He held this position until 1905.

It was in 1906 that his decision to marry the daughter of nationalist General Boulangera caused him career problems. It seems due to this inappropriate connection he was banned from further promotion, so he resigned his commission in the army. Driant now turned to journalism and politics. It turns out he was well suited to politics. In 1910 he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies as a representative of Nancy. Whilst in this role he dedicated his time to strengthening France's defences.

Then in 1914 after the outbreak of WWI he was pressed back into military service.  He was promoted to lieutenant colonel and given command of two infantry battalions, the 56th and 59th chasseurs reservists battalions.

Even during this time he maintained his seat in the Chamber of Deputies, and with that his continued political stance of strengthening France's defences. In December 1915 he came into conflict with Marshal Joseph Joffre, the General in command of Western Front forces. Joffre ordered the removal of a substantial portion of the artillery and infantry from the fortifications at Verdun and Toul to strengthen over areas in the Western Front. Driant was vehemently opposed to this action. He believed this was a huge mistake and would lead to disaster. In what was perhaps an eerie foretelling of his own fate, Driant was, sadly, correct.

On 21 February 1916, German forces mounted an assault against the French in the Verdun sector. With 1200 men by his side Driant fought valiantly against the German onslaught for nearly two full days. Only when the situation was totally hopeless did he order a withdrawal of French troops. It was during this withdrawal that Driant lost his life. He was the first high-ranked casualty of the Battle of Verdun, and he was hailed as a hero among the French. And the efforts of he and his troops are commemorated every year on 21 February.

Driant was not only a soldier and politician. He also fancied himself as wordsmith. In 1888 under the pseudonym "Capitaine Danrit" he penned his first novel. The book comprised three "imaginery war" stories. In the stories the French win a series of sweeping victories over the Germans. He also wrote another epic tale of some 1200 pages, called "The Fatal War: France-England" in which the French won a great victory against the British.

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On 21 February 1956, France issued a stamp commemorating Colonel Émile Driant. The stamp was designed and engraved by Albert Decaris.

This excellent composition reveals a brave and idealistic man. We may perhaps even see a hint of his artistic inclinations in his pensive gaze. In the background we see the stark reality of war represented by fortifications - presumably those at Verdun - and the skeletal trees reaching with vain hope toward the sky.

A marvellous stamp! And I'll also give this one extra credit for the superbly engraved moustache!

Until next time...

I Interview... Roos Philately

Last year I decided to start doing a series called "I Interview..." in my Slania Crazy! blog. In this series I ask my fellow Slania collectors to talk about their own collections: what got them started; what draws them to keep collecting etc.. This series has proved quite popular, so I decided to do the same series in this blog.

The first Albert Decaris interview is with a fellow Aussie, who I speak to a lot over Facebook. We both share a love of engraved stamps including Decaris, and we have fun chatting about them. He goes by the name Roos Philately. So without further ado let's get into it. I hope you enjoy...

Albert Decaris Stamps!: First of all thanks for taking the time to have a chat, Roos.

Roos Philately: My pleasure.

Q: When did you start collecting Decaris stamps? 

A: I started collecting the stamps engraved by Albert Decaris in late 2015, so as you can imagine I am only new to his work.

Q: What drew you to start collecting him?

A: What started me collecting the stamps Decaris engraved was first seeing his work appearing on Facebook, in such places as the Group Albert Decaris Stamps & Art. After just seeing some of Decaris' stamps I said to myself, "I have to start collecting Decaris, his engravings are gorgeous."

Q: What is your favourite Decaris stamp, and why is it your favourite?

A: From the small number of stamps I have collected so far that were engraved by Decaris, my favourite has to be the France 1961 Pierre Fauchard (Dentist). The reason I like this stamp is for the detail and work put in to this little piece of artwork.

Q: Where do you usually get your Decaris stamps?

A: I usually purchase my Decaris engraved stamps from eBay or Delcampe.

Q: What references do you like using? Which is your favourite? 

A: The references I use are: 

• 1979 Stanley Gibbons France and Colonies Stamp Catalogue. 
• Stamp Engravers blog (run by Adrian Keppel), which has an excellent Albert Decaris section.

My favourite would have to be the blog, for one simple reason really, Adrian has listed most if not all the stamps that Decaris has engraved.

Q: Do you remember what your first Decaris stamp was?

A: My first Decaris stamp was not just a single stamp but half a hagner of stamps I found for sale on eBay.

Q: When it comes to definitives in multiple values and omnibus issues with the same engraving , do you collect everything there is or do you collect just one example of each engraving?
A: I try to collect everything there is.

Q: Do you collect any other engravers?

A: I do collect other engravers, they are Czeslaw Slania and Pierre Gandon, but no doubt there will be more lol.

Q: What are your other stamp specialisms?

A: Apart from collecting stamps engraved by certain engravers I also collect the stamps issued by Australia. I do enjoy the pre-decimal issues the most. 

Q: How do you store your Decaris stamps?

A: I store my Decaris stamps in Hagners.

Q: Do you have any collecting tips to share? 

A: The only tip I have is to enjoy philately and have fun with your collecting interests.

I'd like to thank Roos Philately again for taking part in this new series. If anyone else out there wishes to participate, please let me know in the comments.

Until next time...

1944

Year Set

France

Edouard Branly

Issued 21 February

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Marshal of France

Issued 24 April

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The Grand Condé

Issued 31 July

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Battle of Isly

Issued 20 November