Postage Stamps

When in conflict, many leaders will utilize symbolic iconography in order to convey specific messages in support of their cause. In many cases, symbols can be repurposed in order to manipulate the meaning associated with said symbol. Multiple varieties of media can be subject to this tactic, including items such as postage stamps. While the postage stamp is not a common example of medium in which messages can be relayed, there is hidden symbolism and political biases embedded within the image that can help historians better understand the zeitgeist of the period. Postage stamps are useful to examine and analyze because in relation to European history, the expansion of monarchical empires across the globe relied on the submission of those they conquered; such is the case regarding British rule in Ireland.

While iconography is seen on practically all items manufactured by governmental bodies, whether it be an official seal or patriotic allegories, there is usually always an image in order to convey a statement of authority over those observing the illustration. The original, intended use for various media can be especially tricky to pinpoint in modern times because our perception of the world is very different than it would have been a century ago. While media did circulate within the networks created by expanding empires, the intended purpose of each item would have been more specialized than it would be in today’s culture.

One of the most successful ways in which to exude power over another would be to depict images of the imperial family on objects the common people would see on a daily basis. Therefore, there must be a distinction drawn between domestic and foreign intention, and thus, “…coins are usually intended primarily for domestic use, stamps for both domestic and foreign use…”[1]. With that fact being acknowledged, manipulation can occur on both sides of a conflict. Those who oppose the monarchy “…have never doubted the urgency of obliterating a deposed ruler’s portrait on the stamps…”[2] circulating within their nation. In the context of the Easter Rising of 1916 in Dublin, many revolutionary leaders put forth images in which to evoke a sense of Irish pride, either by creating symbolic representations of Ireland’s pre-Norman, Gaelic past or by depicting portraits of their own national heroes such as Robert Emmet or Theobald Wolfe Tone. Symbols such as the harp, shamrock, Celtic cross, as well as famous Irish landmarks like the General Post Office in Dublin, are often shown on stamps and are meant to recall a nostalgic feeling, a longing for the purity of the past. By using symbols such as these, leaders were able to use much of the same symbols and distort the context in which they operate.


[1] D.M. Reid, “The Symbolism of Postage Stamps: A Source for the Historian,” Journal of Contemporary History 19, no. 2 (1982), 226.

[2] Ibid., 224.