North vs South, 1861
North vs South, 1861
In 1963 I moved from South Dakota to Texas and started high school. I was pretty intimidated by the experience, and insecure as so many adolescents are. I made friends only very slowly, and for a while retreated into the pursuits of my younger years. I had been a stamp collector since I was ten, and new opportunities were present in Texas. In San Antonio, a city where there were more people than in the entire state of South Dakota, there were stores for stamp collectors where you could select from a huge variety of issues. With high school classes in American history, I had become interested in the Civil War period, and as a new "Southerner," I purchased a Confederate stamp of my supposed relative, Jefferson Davis, for ninety cents. Later I splurged on a really pretty brown Thomas Jefferson US design for $6.75. Now the Thomas Jefferson [Scott #76: 1861-1866] is valued at $70 and the Confederate States Jefferson Davis [Scott #11:1863-1864] is worth $7.
Each design seems to represent the aesthetics of the government which printed it. The North is represented by a very natural portrait in a warm brown looking to his right, metaphorically the frontier to the west, while surrounded by an industrial-looking scrollwork. The South is a classic profile in cool blue facing east to Britain while surrounded by florid ornamental designs. The former stamp has been circulated and is canceled, but the latter has never been used. In fact, only a few Southern stamps were put into circulation; most lay in warehouses while the war halted correspondence to most parts of the South.
Provenance:
Paper Type: Arches Cover white [2550 gm/m-2]
Paper Size: 11" x 15"
Image Size: 4.375" x 5.5" each, separated by 0.375"
Edition Size: 25
Date: 1999-04-04
Inks Used: Charbonnel Bistre and Gamblin Ultramarine Blue
Notes: Postage stamps of the Civil War era were computer-scanned and printed onto transparencies. This film was exposed to a high-intensity ultraviolet light onto photosensitive plastic Imagon™ film laminated onto a standard 16 gauge zinc plate. After 100 seconds the plate was removed and washed in aqueous sodium bicarbonate developer until the intaglio relief was achieved.
Available:
$25.00 USD
$500 MXN
Shipping: $15.00 with tracking
Each design seems to represent the aesthetics of the government which printed it. The North is represented by a very natural portrait in a warm brown looking to his right, metaphorically the frontier to the west, while surrounded by an industrial-looking scrollwork. The South is a classic profile in cool blue facing east to Britain while surrounded by florid ornamental designs. The former stamp has been circulated and is canceled, but the latter has never been used. In fact, only a few Southern stamps were put into circulation; most lay in warehouses while the war halted correspondence to most parts of the South.
Provenance:
Paper Type: Arches Cover white [2550 gm/m-2]
Paper Size: 11" x 15"
Image Size: 4.375" x 5.5" each, separated by 0.375"
Edition Size: 25
Date: 1999-04-04
Inks Used: Charbonnel Bistre and Gamblin Ultramarine Blue
Notes: Postage stamps of the Civil War era were computer-scanned and printed onto transparencies. This film was exposed to a high-intensity ultraviolet light onto photosensitive plastic Imagon™ film laminated onto a standard 16 gauge zinc plate. After 100 seconds the plate was removed and washed in aqueous sodium bicarbonate developer until the intaglio relief was achieved.
Available:
$25.00 USD
$500 MXN
Shipping: $15.00 with tracking
