H-Postal History exists to encourage the cross-fertilization of different approaches to, and understandings of, postal history, particularly between academics and philatelic researchers and writers. It provides a community and a platform for the exchange of ideas and of information regarding publications, projects, events, and private and public collections available to researchers. The intended audience includes scholars, graduate students, and independent researchers studying postal history, of any time and place, including postal logistics, infrastructure, networks, and technology, as well as the mail.
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Dear colleagues,
Please find below an invitation from the International bureau of the Universal Postal Union to share knowledge about "women in postal history" and "women on postal stamps".
Best regards,
Léonard Laborie
The UPU will launch its 150th anniversary celebrations in close partnership with La Poste Groupe, La Poste Historical Committee (CHP) and SIRICE laboratory by delving into the rich history of postal services and the UPU through a historical conference. The conference will welcome 40 historians, academics and philatelists from over 16 countries under the theme "Achieving 'a single postal territory': A global promise – Past and present".
The Istituto di Studi Storici Postali “Aldo Cecchi” was founded in Prato, Tuscany, in 1982. The Institute is committed to the preservation of, research in, and sharing of knowledge on postal history and organised communication.
During the Civil War, letters between soldiers and their families were critical to morale on the frontlines and on the home front — they were nearly as important as ammunition. To ensure that the military mail was delivered, the U.S. Post Office Department deployed Special Agents across the country to deal with the millions of letters that were unleashed on the postal system.
Discussions
Join the National Postal Museum on Zoom for a talk with Emily Hilliard, the Program Director for Folk and Traditional Arts at Mid Atlantic Arts, on Wednesday, May 31st, at 4 pm ET. The event is free but registration is required. You can find additional information and register here.
Journal for the History of Knowledge – Call for Proposals, Special Issue 2025
The Journal for the History of Knowledge features an annual special issue, compiled by guest editors, which explores a theme central to the journal’s scope. The special issues of previous years have been Histories of Bureaucratic Knowledge (2020), Histories of Ignorance (2021) and Situated Nature (2022)
We are currently accepting proposals for the 2025 Special Issue. Proposals should contain the following:
- A description of the proposed theme (1500-2000 words) highlighting its significance for the history of knowledge
- A
On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Univeral Postal Union, a historical conference will convene in Berne (Switzerland) on the 2nd of February 2024 with the support of the UPU and La Poste France, under the theme: "Achieving “a single postal territory”: A global promise – Past and present". The call for papers is open until 31 March 2023.
Rationale
Since its
Blog Posts
Object Blog
By Dr. Gary Baines
Semiotics is defined as the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation. Stamps are visual signifiers or icons. Their designs usually represent the dominant ideologies of the nation and thus represent the nation’s distinct political identity. But in some instances, stamps propagate the ideology and interests of a specific group rather than that of the nation-state. South Africa’s postal authorities issued a set of three bilingual stamps in 1949 to commemorate the inauguration of the Voortrekker Monument, a project initiated by Afrikaner nationalist
By Joseph M. Adelman
Franklin Account Book, 1748-1752
URL: https://diglib.amphilsoc.org/islandora/object/post-office-book-1748-1752#page/7/mode/2up
Over the past ten years, archivists around the United States have been working to digitize materials in their collections to make them more accessible to researchers and the general public. Among the items of greatest interest to the H-Postal History community may be an account book from Benjamin Franklin’s service as the deputy postmaster of Philadelphia in the British imperial postal system. Covering the period from 1748 to 1752, near the end of
The Rape of Europa - CEPT (Spain, 1966)
Dr. Guillermo NAVARRO OLTRA
One of the stamps that has caught my attention since childhood is the Spanish issue of the ‘Europa-CEPT (European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations)’ stamp from 1966.
Each member country annually issued a stamp or a set of stamps using a shared illustrative theme that promoted the idea of uniting the peoples of the Old Continent and the dissemination of their culture and history through the stamps (Estefanía, 2004: 30-31). The issuing of stamps with a common theme and design elements in Europe began in
Angolan “Freedom Fighter” Stamps
By Matin Modarressi
Thirty-three years ago, the leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) arrived in Washington, DC, on a precarious mission. Angola was in the middle of a bloody civil war, and both sides—UNITA and the Soviet-backed government—had been accused of targeting civilians. But the leader of the rebel movement, Jonas Savimbi, hoped that by portraying himself as an anti-communist “freedom fighter,” he could convince the US to formally support him. Savimbi sought the services of Republican lobbyist Paul Manafort (the same
Pagination
Queries
Have read posts on this subject with some interest. As a long time amateur stamp collector [for fun and interest not profit] and the history portrayed by Stamps, found this to be a matter of which, I believe, most collectors are aware, countries often issue stamps not connected necessarily to history of their own, but often, to honor and /or make some money regarding the subject matter of their Stamps as issued.
Think this is fairly accurate description.
I find stamps interesting but as far as accuracy, one must be careful. I remember when I was much younger having stamps depicting various train engines from Burkina Faso. I thought how wonderful and rich the rail history was in that West African country must be.
I was disappointed several years later when I was talking to a missionary friend of mine home on furlough. He had served years in Burkina Faso. I asked him about the rails, and he explained that Burkina Faso never had any trains nor rails. He told me the country printed those stamps specifically to sell to stamp collectors.
Obviously
Oh, those look interesting. I understand just enough Spanish to recognize most of the words, but not enough to be able to properly read it!
Unfortunately, I do not read Spanish but thanks for the reference. I notice that Oktra has published some pieces in English and they, in turn, provide some useful references. Thanks, Bruno