Canadian Philately - The Stamps and Postal History of Canada 1851 to Present by Brixton Chrome

Today's post will conclude the King George VI period with a look at nine commemorative issues that were released between March 3, 1947 and October 26, 1951. All of the issues, except for the 1947 Canadian Citizenship issue were designed by Herman Herbert Schwartz, who by now, is well known within Canadian philatelic circles as the country's leading stamp designer. He was involved in the production of the model upon which the Citizenship Issue was designed, but the designer himself was Alan Brookman Beddoe. Silas Robert Allen and William F. Ford, both prominent engravers with the Canadian Bank Note Company (CBN), were responsible for all the engraving. The CBN printed all of the issues except for the Prime Ministers series in sheets of 200, which were split into four post office panes of 50, while the Prime Ministers stamps were printed in sheets of 400, which were then split into four post office panes of 100.

These commemorative issues are important because they mark the beg…

Overview

After World War II had ended, there was a strong desire to modernize stamp design. In the late 1940's the prevailing design trend was minimalist with sleek lines. This trend was very prevalent in the architecture of the period, and in product design. So it made sense that this design aesthetic would extend into the stamp realm as well. Indeed if one looks at the stamps of many countries issued during this time, one will see that many of them share this simplicity in common. Thus, this issue may not be for you if you like very ornate designs, with fancy scrollwork. However, without the distracting influence of all these embellishments, it stands as a showcase of engraver's skill in executing flawlessly five separate portraits of King George VI, all from photographs. The resemblance to the actual king is quite striking, and much better than what was later accomplished on the Queen Elizabeth II Karsh Issue.

This issue is much more straightforward than any issue that came…