Saarland 1948 - Airmail stamps

Nearly 250 km long, the Saar River meanders through the breathtaking countryside of France and Germany. Travelling along this river one would expect to see stunning forest landscapes, canals, old bridges, and the occasional village. The Saar River also boasts.the UNESCO World Heritage Site Völklinger Hütte, and the famous Saar Loop at Mettlach. Over time the river has played a vital role for industry in Saarland, being used to ship raw materials for the coal, iron and steel industries. And the fertile banks of the Saar were perfect for wine growing, which continued up till the early 20th Century. For more on Saarland check out THIS blog post. 

***

On 1 April 1948 a set of three airmail stamps were issued for Saarland (Saar Protectorate). One design was used for all three values. The designer was Albert Decaris. René Cottet engraved the design. It is a stunning design, featuring the silhouette of a plane flying over the Saar River.

***

I love this design, and while studying it I grew curious as to what type of plane the silhouette might be representing. The main problem I faced was, does the silhouette accurately represent the plane it is supposed to be depicting? And for that matter is it an actual plane being represented? Assuming the silhouette is accurate, and that the plane has two engines, one on each wing, I didn't have much luck finding a match. But if we perhaps extend artistic license a bit and go with the possibility of the plane having two engines per wing, then I may have found a possible match. The plane could possibly be a SNCASE SE.161 Languedoc. 

As I say, this is merely a possibility. I have found no definitive evidence either way. If anyone out there can shed any light on what type of plane the silhouette might represent, I'd love to hear from you.

Until next time...

I Muse...on a Scandal in Saarland

Autumn has arrived Down Under. So what better way to welcome a new season than a bit of a scandal...

The year was 1948. French stamp engraver Albert Decaris had submitted several designs for a new Saarland definitive series. The designs were accepted, three of which featured the faces of Saarland workers. But little did the French Postal Authorities know, these designs were based on photographs Decaris had seen and used without gaining permission from the original photographer, Ilse Steinhoff. Apparently, a long legal battle ensued.

After the stamps had been issued, the people who had had their photos taken saw themselves on stamps, and naturally they were quite shocked! Subsequently, an article was published in ILLUS magazine  revealing the faces the stamp images belonged to. As a collector I found seeing the original photos quite cool.

***

The 2f and 3f stamps depict a miner named Josef Holz from Hasborn at the harvest.

***

The 4f and 5f values depict Josef Holz's daughter, Alina. She is also busily harvesting.

***

The 6f and 9f values depict Josef Holz standing proudly at the entrance of a mine. Incidentally, this image was used on the cover of ILLUS magazine.

***

While searching for information on these stamps I also came across one of Decaris' sketch's for Holz standing before the mine.

In case you are interested this article can be found in ILLUS 1948 No.3 - "The Living Stamp". If anyone knows where a copy of this issue can be purchased, please let me know. I'd love to have a copy of it for my collection.

Until next time...

Saarland 1948 - More Definitives

In a previous blog I studied the four stamps Albert Decaris designed and engraved for the 1948 Saarland definitive set of 13. This set was issued 1 April. For my quick run-down on the territory of Saarland, click HERE. Decaris designed all thirteen stamps in this set. As mentioned above four of these he engraved, the other nine of which he only designed. These nine stamps can be further broken down into four unique designs, each with its own engraver.

***

The first design depicts clasped hands. The theme of reconstruction after the ravages of WWII runs through this entire set. This particular design suggests co-operation in the reconstruction process. The design was issued in three values. This design was engraved by Dufresne.

***

The second design type depicts a worker. This man has a big smile on his face, suggesting happiness in his work. This design was used for two values. This design was engraved by Piel.

***

The third design type depicts a young woman gathering wheat. This design was used for two values. I can't quite make out the engraver's name on these stamps...

***

The fourth design type depicts a miner in a hard hat, ready to descend into the bowels of the earth. This design was also used for two values. This design was engraved by Cottet.

***

Until next time...

Stay Decaris Crazy!

Saarland 1948 - Definitives

A couple of weeks ago I was doing some work on my Decaris stamp database when I came across a set of thirteen stamps issued in 1948 that he worked on for Saarland that I didn't have listed. I immediately went searching for a copy of these stamps. When it comes to engraved stamps I usually opt for mint stamps, purely so the whole image can be seen without being covered in any way by a postmark. I quickly found that I was going to have to compromise when it came to these stamps. Mint copes are rather expensive, so I expanded my search to used stamps. After a bit of looking I found a decent used set for a reasonable price.

***

Now I'll have to admit that until I found the listing for these Saarland definitives I hadn't even heard of Saarland. So I did a bit of research. What I found was quite interesting... 

The region of Saarland did not exist until 1920, and at that time it was called The Territory of the Saar Basin. It was created as a result of a regulation of the Treaty of Versailles after World War I. The territory was governed by the United Kingdom and France from 1920 to 1935. The territory was located in the southwest of Germany. It included parts of Prussia and parts of Bavaria (see the map below). Its capital was Saarbrucken. In 1935 a referendum was held and the inhabitants of the territory voted to rejoin Germany. 

In 1947 after WWII the Saar territory was once again taken from German control, and this time placed under the sole control of France. It was called the Saar Protectorate. The Saar Protectorate remained under French control until 1 January 1957 when it was incorporated into the Federal Republic of Germany.

During the two periods mentioned above the Saar territory had its own currency, the Saar franc, and its own postage stamps.

***

On 1 April 1948 Saarland issued a set of 13 definitive stamps. Albert Decaris designed all thirteen stamps, four of which he engraved. In order to prevent this blog from being too long, I will only study the four stamps Decaris designed and engraved. In a future blog I'll study the nine other stamps in this set which he designed but did not engrave With that said, let's get to it...

The 10f dark blue...

This stamp depicts a colliery shaft head. A colliery is a coal mine and all the buildings associated with running the mine. The shaft head is the business end of a coal mining shaft. It contains the relevant mechanics to extract coal from the mine. 

***

The 14f dark violet...

This stamp depicts smelting. Smelting is a practise whereby a base metal, such as silver, iron, copper etc., is extracted from its ore by heat and a reducing agent. The reducing agent is usually a type of carbon such as coke or charcoal, which in the heating process removes the oxygen from the ore leaving behind the elemental metal. Of course, this is just a basic summary. The actual process is just a tad more scientific, which is rather beyond the needs of this humble blog.

***

The 20f henna brown...

This stamp depicts reconstruction. Presumably the reconstruction Decaris has illustrated is of buildings damaged or destroyed during World War II. If anyone out there has any further info on this stamp and what it depicts, I'd love to hear from you.

***

The 50f blue black

The detail in this stamp is exquisite...

This stamp depicts the Mettlach Abbey Portal. Also known as the Old Abbey, this striking building was once a Benedictine cloister. Construction of the Abbey began in 1727 and it was completed some time in the second half of that century. But it was destined not to be an abbey for long. The monks fled the abbey in 1792 after the French Revolutionary Army penetrated the Saar. In 1802 the French declared the abbey a building of the state as a part of their move to secularize the nation. In 1809 the building was sold to Villeroy & Boch paper manufacturers. Below is an image of this amazing piece of architecture...

Until next time...

Stay Decaris Crazy!