France 1949 - Franco-American Alliance

It all started in 1776 when a young colony rebelled against its motherland in an attempt to smash the shackles of bondage. This colony called upon the aid of France to assist in their struggles for independence. In 1778, France and the new United States signed a treaty of alliance. With foreign aid this colony eventually won their war for independence in 1783. You may have heard the name of this colony once or twice. It now goes by the name: United States of America. This alliance solidified relations between the two nations, and except for two occasions in 1798 and 1942 they managed to maintain fairly peaceful relations. Indeed, in 1884 France gifted America with the stunningly beautiful Statue of Liberty as a symbol of friendship.

For the sake of brevity, we can skip forward to a little over one hundred years later. It is 1949. World War II is thankfully over. And after some rocky relations since the end of the war, the two nations of France and the USA have became formal allies as part of the North Atlantic Treaty. From this treaty was formed the NATO military alliance. But it was not all smooth sailing between the two nations. The Suez Crisis in 1956, for instance, caused a substantial amount of friction between the two countries. In the end, however, the two countries have maintained a reasonable relationship. Indeed, over the years the young people of France have embraced many cultural aspects of the US. Whether the bombardment of US culture on other nations is a good thing or a bad thing is not really for me to say - at least not here! 

This is, of course, an astoundingly brief summary of historical events from 1766 to the present. To go further would require a ridiculously long blog. To read more on the history of the relationship between France and the USA click HERE. 

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On 14 May 1949 France issued a stamp to celebrate the formal alliance between France and USA. The stamp was engraved by Pierre Gandon.

This elegant design represents the allied nations as shields bearing their respective flags. Between the shield is worked a cross-hatch pattern to represent the weaving together of two countries via trade and travel. This concept is furthered by the illustration of a plane, top centre, and a transatlantic ship, lower centre. Altogether this is a solid design with a dramatic visual punch.

Until next time...

France 1949 - United Nations in Paris

The atrocities of World War II must never again be allowed to occur! This was the basic premise to the formation of the United Nations. Without going into lots of details, the United Nations was established on 24 October 1945, a replacement to the League of Nations, which did not work as well as intended. Initially 51 member states signed up to join the UN. These days that number has risen to 193. 

The official headquarters of the UN is located in Manhattan, New York City with three further offices in Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna. Its objectives have outgrown its initial premise somewhat. It strives to maintain international peace and security, and it seeks to promote human rights through things like humanitarian aid during times of crisis such as famine, natural disaster, and war. The UN also works to protect our natural environment.

In order to run effectively, the UN mechanism has six main components (from Wikipedia):

1.  General Assembly (the main deliberative assembly)
2. Security Council (for deciding certain resolutions for peace and security)
3. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; for promoting international economic and social co-operation and development)
4. Secretariat (for providing studies, information, and facilities needed by the UN)
5. International Court of Justice (the primary judicial organ)
6. UN Trusteeship Council (inactive since 1994)

For this blog post our main focus is the General Assembly. The first session of the UN General Assembly was convened on 10 January 1946 in the Methodist Central Hall in London and included representatives of 51 nations. But since an official headquarters had as yet been created, the next five sessions of the Assembly were held in different locations. Two such sessions were held in Paris. The first Paris session was in 1948. The second Paris session began on 6 November 1951. This session was held at the Palais de Challiot. 

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The Palais de Challiot was built for the Exposition Internationale of 1937, on the site where the old Palais du Trocadéro had stood before being demolished. It is perhaps worth noting that Adolf Hitler was pictured on the front terrace of the palace with the Eiffel Tower in the background during his tour of Paris in 1940. This photo became an iconic image of World War II.

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On 6 November 1951 France issued a set of two stamps bearing the same design for the opening of the UN General Assembly in Paris. This issue was designed and engraved by Albert Decaris. The design features the Palais de Challiot in the foreground with the Eiffel Tower standing proudly in the centre background. This design was issued in two values, each with its own colour.

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One thing I find interesting about this issue is the 18f red. The ink seems to be quite thick, which blurs much of the fine detail. This is reminiscent of the 1948 Luxembourg Palace 12f issue printed in carmine. In the Luxembourg Issue a lot of details are blotted out. This is perhaps a reflection of the consistency of the red pigmented ink of this vintage.  

Until next time...

France 1949 - CITT in Paris

On 15 June 1949 the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) met in Paris for a major telecommunications conference called the CITT (Conference International Télégraphique et Téléphonique). This conference focused on things like the normalisation of international telegrams, radio-telegrams, and transport tariffs. The conference lasted nineteen days, concluding on 3 July 1949.

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On 13 June 1949 France issued a set of five stamps for the occasion of the CITT in Paris. The highest value in this set, the 100f value, was designed and engraved by Pierre Gandon. This amazing stamp features the Pont Alexandre III with the Petit Palais in the background.

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The main focus of this truly stunning stamp, as mentioned above, is Pont Alexandre III. Work began on this bridge in 1897 under the guidance of the engineers Jean Resal and Amédée Alby. Designed by Cassien-Bernard and Gaston Cousin, was a symbol of Franco - Russian friendship, which was established by the alliance between Emperor Alexander III of Russia and the President of the French Republic, Sadi Carnot, in 1891. This alliance was solidified when Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, Empress Alexandra Fedorovna, and President Felix Faure laid the first stone of the bridge on 7 October 1896. When completed, the bridge was inaugurated for the Universal Exhibition of Paris in 1900.

The detail Gandon has incorporated into the engraving of the bridge is incredible. Here's a close-up.

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In the background we can the Petit Palais, which was purpose built for the Universal Exhibition of Paris in 1900. The building was designed by Charles Girault, who won the competition for the privilege of undertaking the design. Construction began on 10 October 1897 and the building was completed in April 1900. The total cost of the Petit Palais at the time of the construction was £400,000.

Only one side of the Petit Palais is fully visible in the stamp, the rest being mostly covered by trees, but what can be seen, its domed roofs, its stunning facade, are spectacular. Here's a look...

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I think what captures my imagination most, however, is the details of the tiny door found to the left of the bridge. I love it. The exquisite detail. The mystery of what may be behind that door...

Until next time...

France 1949 - Trades

On 14 February 1949, France issued a set of four stamps showcasing some of the many trades that have been and, in some instances, continue to be, the life blood of the country. Two of the stamps in this set, the 3f+1f value and the 8f+4f value, were designed and engraved by Albert Decaris.

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The 3f + 1f value celebrates the French farmer. The 1f surcharge on this stamp went to the Red Cross. 

Farming is one of France's most important industries. in no small part due to the fact that the country is self-sufficient in food supplies. Farming in France ranges from cereal crops to beef, pork, and poultry to a range of fruit and vegetables. In the above stamp, Decaris has illustrated a farmer ploughing a field in an old tractor. 

Out of curiosity a had a bit of a look on the net to see if I could find a tractor that resembled the one here. This is what I found. It is, I think, pretty close. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find a make for this particular vehicle. Anyone have any idea?

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The 8f + 4f value celebrates the hard-working miner. The 4f surcharge on this stamp went to the Red Cross.

The French have practised Coal Mining from as early as the 12th Century. But it wasn't until the 19th Century that coal mining really accelerated and many new mines were opened. The main areas for coal mining in France were located in the north-east in the Nord-Pas de Calais, in Lorraine, and in the Loire. And Lignite was mined in the south-east in Provence. In this stamp Decaris has beautifully depicted a robust miner wielding a pneumatic drill and showing the rock no mercy.

The drill used by the miner on the above stamp is similar to the real one in this image.

Until next time...

France 1949 - Aerial Views of France Airmails

Commencing on the 27 April 1949, France issued the first stamp in what was to become a glorious set of five Airmail stamps, the last of which was issued on 16 January 1950. All of the stamps in this set were designed and engraved by Albert Decaris. This set is known by the name: Aerial Views of France.

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The 100f  value, issued 27 April, depicts the city of Lille, France.

Lille is located in French Flanders on the Dûele River in the north of France. There is an interesting feature within this stamp worth mentioning. Turn your eye to the middle left of the stamp. You will see a column. This is the Goddess Monument. It commemorates Lille's resistance to the Austrian siege of 1792. Atop the column stands the Goddess. She has in her right hand a a linstock, which was used to light the fuses of cannons. Another interesting feature in the stamp is located in the centre foreground of the stamp. This arched structure is known as the Porte de Paris. This is one of the gates that was originally a part of the ancient wall that surrounded the city.

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The 200f value, issued 23 June, depicts the city of Bordeaux.

Bordeaux is a port city located on the Garonne River in southwestern France. Bordeaux is considered the wine capital of the world. There are a couple of features in this stamp worth highlighting. The first is the Gustave Eiffel Railway bridge in the centre of the stamp. And to the left stands St. Michael's church, with the prominent bell-tower known as "The Arrow" reaching toward the sky.

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The 300f value, issued 23 June, depicts the city of Lyon.

Lyon is located in east-central France in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alps region, between Paris and Marseille. The Rhône and the Saône Rivers snake through the centre of this amazing stamp. The left side of the stamp is dominated by a geographical feature known as "The Hill That Preys". Sitting atop the hill is the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fouvière. And behind that at the top left is the Tour métallique, a TV tower fashioned to resemble the last stage of the Eiffel Tower.

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The 500f value, issued 1 July, depicts the city of Marseille.

Marseille is located in France's south coast, and is the second largest city in France. The prominent feature of this stamp is the Old Port, which has been the city's natural harbour since around 600 BC when Greek settlers from Phocaea arrived.

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The 1,000f value, issued 16 January 1950, depicts the city of Paris.

The capital of France, Paris is located in the north of the country on the River Seine. This stamp is the pièce de résistance of the set. It is truly superb! The image is looking west. Dominating the centre left of this stamp is Notre Dame Cathedral. Winding through the right of the stamp is the river Seine.

This stamp also highlights some of the many bridges of Paris. While doing research for this blog, I found a great Powerpoint presentation on the net dealing with the bridges of Paris on stamps. Click HERE to look at the presentation. Within that presentation is an image that lists the names of many of the bridges Decaris engraved into the stamp.

Until next time...

France 1949 - Charles-Louis de Secondat

Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, most commonly referred to as simply Montesquieu, was born in France on 18 January 1689 at the Château de La Brède. He died 10 February 1755 at the aged of 56. Montesquieu lived during the Aged of Enlightenment. He was a French lawyer and a political philosopher.

Château de La Brède

By Carole J... - Own work (own photo), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2533720

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On 14 November 1949 France issued a semi-postal stamp commemorating this man of letters. The stamp was designed by Paul-Pierre Lemagny and it was engraved by Charles-Paul Dufresne. The stamp is an absolute stunner. The life etched into the face of Montesquieu is awesome!

So far I know very little about the engraver of this stamp. According to the terrific blog, Stamp Engravers, Dufresne seems to have been active from 1939 to 1958. 

Until next time...

Stay Engraver Crazy!