Diwali (Canada 2021)

Issue date:19 October

Updated October 19th:
[press release]
Intricate pattern on new Diwali stamp welcomes good fortune

VANCOUVER – Today, Canada Post issued a new commemorative stamp to herald the arrival of Diwali – one of the largest and most widely celebrated festivals in India. Observed by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs and others around the world, the five-day celebration falls on November 4 this year.

About the festival
A time to reflect, overcome negativity, and spread light and love, Diwali is associated with a number of traditions, many of them focused on the triumph of good over evil. Small clay oil lamps called diyas are often lit in rows in homes and temples or set adrift on rivers, fireworks illuminate the sky, and celebrants exchange gifts and donate to those in need.

Rangolis are also an important part of the festival. Drawn on floors in entranceways, living rooms and courtyards using flower petals, coloured sand and other materials, these intricate patterns are intended to invite Lakshmi, the goddess of good fortune, into celebrants’ homes.

About the stamp issue
Designer Seung Jai Paek layered the Rangoli pattern featured on this stamp with meaning. A lotus flower, symbolic of new beginnings, forms both the outline and inset; a ring of heart-shaped diyas expresses love and gratitude; and the Indian spice box (called a masala dabba) in the centre of the design alludes to the food shared during Diwali. Printed by Lowe-Martin, the stamp issue includes a booklet of 10 Permanent™ domestic rate stamps and an Official First Day Cover.

booklet pane

The Diwali stamps and collectibles are available at canadapost.ca and post offices across Canada starting today.

OFDC

en Francais:
Le motif élaboré du nouveau timbre célébrant Diwali invite à la bonne fortune

VANCOUVER – Aujourd’hui, Postes Canada a émis un nouveau timbre commémoratif pour souligner l’arrivée de Diwali, l’une des fêtes les plus importantes et les plus célébrées en Inde. Observée par les hindous, les bouddhistes, les jaïns, les sikhs et d’autres communautés dans le monde, la célébration de cinq jours commencera le 4 novembre cette année.

À propos de Diwali
Associée à bon nombre de traditions, dont plusieurs célèbrent le triomphe du bien sur le mal, Diwali est l’occasion de réfléchir, de surmonter la négativité et de remplir le monde de lumière et d’amour. De petites lampes à l’huile, appelées diyas, sont souvent allumées en rangées dans les maisons et les temples ou mises à la rivière, pendant que des feux d’artifice illuminent le ciel et que les gens échangent des cadeaux et font des dons aux personnes dans le besoin.

Les rangolis sont aussi un aspect important des célébrations. Tracés au sol dans les entrées, les salons et les cours à l’aide de pétales de fleurs, de sable coloré ou autre, ces motifs élaborés sont créés dans l’intention d’inviter Lakshmi, la déesse de la bonne fortune, dans les maisons des fidèles.

À propos du timbre
Le designer Seung Jai Paek a savamment superposé des motifs pour créer le rangoli illustré sur ce timbre. La fleur de lotus, qui symbolise les nouveaux débuts, forme le contour et l’intérieur; le cercle de diyas en forme de cœur représente l’amour et la gratitude; et la boîte à épices indiennes (appelée masala dabba), au centre du motif, rappelle le partage de nourriture lors des festins de Diwali. Imprimée par Lowe-Martin, cette émission comprend un carnet de 10 timbres PermanentsMC au tarif du régime intérieur et un pli Premier Jour officiel.

booklet pane

Le timbre et l’article de collection sur Diwali sont en vente dès aujourd’hui à postescanada.ca et dans les bureaux de poste partout au pays.

OFDC

From Details magazine:

Layers of symbolism are woven into the eye-catching Rangoli pattern on this stamp heralding the arrival of Diwali on November 4. A time to reflect, overcome negativity, and spread light and love, the five-day festival is observed by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs and others around the world.

Rangolis are an important part of the celebrations. Drawn on floors in entranceways, living rooms and courtyards using flower petals, coloured sand and other materials, these temporary works of art are traditionally created to invite Lakshmi, the goddess of good fortune, into celebrants’ homes.

Seung Jai Paek studied hundreds of Rangolis before devising this clever concept to convey the spirit of Diwali. A lotus flower, symbolic of new beginnings, forms both the outline and inset of the Rangoli. A ring of heart-shaped lamps or diyas, commonly lit during the festival, expresses love and gratitude. In the centre, an Indian spice box called a masala dabba alludes to the food shared during Diwali. The rich golds in the design evoke a sense of wealth, while the stream of light in the background represents the gods illuminating the path to peace and prosperity.

Specifications:

Christopher Plummer (Canada 2021)

Date of Issue: 14 October

Note video further down. Click on any picture for a larger version.

Updated October 13th:

[press release]
Christopher Plummer honoured with new commemorative stamp
The legendary stage and screen actor played a leading role in selecting the stamp that celebrates his 70-year career

TORONTO – Canada Post is proud to pay tribute to one of the world’s most distinguished actors, Christopher Plummer (1929-2021).

In a career that spanned seventy years, Plummer appeared in more than 200 films, television movies and mini-series, and performed on stages from Broadway to the Stratford Festival, where he captivated audiences in a long list of impressive leading roles including Henry V, Macbeth and Hamlet.

Pane of sheet stamps

While Plummer – who was born in Toronto and raised mostly in Montréal – distinguished himself among his peers as one of the most accomplished classical stage actors of his time, his film career was no less impressive.

From Stage Struck (1958), to The Insider (1999), to the movie that made him a household name,The Sound of Music (1965), Plummer appeared in an incredibly diverse range of films. He enjoyed playing unexpected roles, too – from voicing the obsessive villain Charles Muntz in the animated film Up (2009) to bringing panache to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) as the Shakespeare-quoting Klingon, General Chang. His popularity grew as he embraced his golden years, winning praise for stand-out

booklet pane

performances, including All the Money in the World (2017) and Knives Out (2019).

Plummer earned countless awards and honours for his work. He is among a select group – and the only Canadian – to achieve the triple crown of acting, in his case by taking home two Emmys, two Tonys and an Academy Award, which he won at age 82 for his supporting role in Beginners (2010). He was also appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada.

When Canada Post first approached Plummer in 2019, he was thrilled at the prospect of being featured on a Canadian stamp. He was consulted in the process from the very beginning and personally approved the stamp design.About the stamp issue
Designed by Stephen Slipp and printed by Colour Innovations, the stamp features illustrations by Spooky Pooka depicting the actor in several of his most celebrated roles, chosen by Plummer himself (from left to right):

  • King Lear in King Lear
  • Rudyard Kipling in The Man Who Would Be King
  • Prospero in The Tempest (foreground)
  • Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music
  • John Barrymore in Barrymore

The moody, tempestuous background of the stamp design is symbolic of the drama he brought to the stage and screen. The stamp issue includes a booklet of 10 Permanent™ domestic rate stamps, an Official First Day Cover (OFDC), a pane of six stamps and a limited edition framed pane.

reverse of the OFDC

Specifications:

Canada Post video of Plummer talking about his work (in English):

[en Francais pour les médias d’information]
Un nouveau timbre commémoratif rend hommage à Christopher Plummer
L’acteur légendaire a participé à la sélection du timbre qui célèbre ses 70 ans de carrière

TORONTO – Postes Canada est fière de rendre hommage à l’un des plus célèbres acteurs au monde, Christopher Plummer (1929-2021).

Au cours de ses 70 ans de carrière, il joue dans plus de 200 films, téléfilms et miniséries, et il se produit sur scène, de Stratford à Broadway, où il enchante le public grâce à de nombreux rôles principaux dont Henry V, Macbeth et Hamlet.

Pane of sheet stamps

Christopher Plummer, qui est né à Toronto et a grandi principalement à Montréal, se distingue parmi ses pairs comme l’un des comédiens de théâtre les plus accomplis de son époque, mais sa carrière cinématographique n’en est pas moins impressionnante.

Du film Les Feux du théâtre (1958) à L’initié (1999), en passant par La mélodie du bonheur (1965) qui fait de lui une vedette, M. Plummer apparaît dans des œuvres très variées. Il aime aussi interpréter des rôles inattendus que ce soit en donnant sa voix au méchant Charles Muntz dans le film d’animation Là-haut (2009) ou en apportant du panache au personnage du général Chang qui cite du Shakespeare dans Star Trek 6 : La Conquête du nouveau monde (1991). Sa popularité ne décline pas avec l’âge, bien au contraire, et il remporte des éloges pour ses performances exceptionnelles, notamment dans Tout l’argent du monde (2017) et À couteaux tirés (2019).

booklet pane

Christopher Plummer reçoit de nombreux prix et honneurs pour son travail. Il est le seul Canadien à faire partie du groupe sélect d’artistes ayant remporté la triple couronne d’interprétation, c’est-à-dire deux prix Emmy, deux prix Tony et un Oscar, qu’il obtient à l’âge de 82 ans pour son rôle de soutien dans Les débutants (2010). Il est également nommé Compagnon de l’Ordre du Canada.

Lorsque Postes Canada a communiqué avec M. Plummer pour la première fois en 2019, l’acteur était ravi qu’un timbre canadien soit créé en son honneur. Il a participé au processus dès le début et a personnellement approuvé le motif.

À propos du timbre
Conçu par Stephen Slipp et imprimé par Colour Innovations, le timbre propose des illustrations de Spooky Pooka représentant l’acteur dans cinq de ses rôles les plus célèbres qu’il a lui-même sélectionnés (de gauche à droite):

  • Le roi Lear dans Le Roi Lear
  • Rudyard Kipling dans L’homme qui voulut être roi
  • Prospero dans La Tempête (en avant-plan)
  • Le capitaine von Trapp dans La mélodie du bonheur
  • John Barrymore dans Barrymore

L’arrière-plan sombre et orageux du motif de timbre symbolise le sens dramatique de Christopher Plummer à l’écran comme sur scène. Cette émission comprend un carnet de 10 timbres PermanentsMC au tarif du régime intérieur, un pli Premier Jour officiel (PPJO), un feuillet de six timbres et un feuillet encadré à tirage limité.

reverse of the OFDC

Announced October 8th:

[press release]
Canada Post to pay tribute to acting legend Christopher Plummer with new stamp

in “The Sound Of Music”

TORONTO – Canada Post invites you to attend a special stamp event and tribute to legendary actor Christopher Plummer. Attendees will be able to watch the small, live event being broadcast from Toronto’s Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre on Wednesday, October 13.

WHO: In attendance at the live event will be the following:

  • Elaine Taylor Plummer, wife of Christopher Plummer
  • Lou Pitt, manager and long-time friend
  • Des McAnuff, director and long-time friend
  • Peter Mansbridge, master of ceremonies
  • Beth Hanna, CEO, Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre
  • Anthony Wilson-Smith, President and CEO, Historica Canada / Chair, Stamp Advisory Committee
  • Franco Chirichella, Chief Digital Officer, Canada Post

WHERE: Live webcast access is available here.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the in-person live event is restricted to invited guests only. It will take place at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre, 189 Yonge Street, in Toronto.

WHEN: Wednesday, October 13 at 11 am, Eastern Time

[en Francais pour les médias d’information]
Postes Canada rend hommage à l’acteur légendaire Christopher Plummer avec un nouveau timbre

TORONTO – Postes Canada vous invite à assister à un événement qui rendra hommage à l’acteur légendaire Christopher Plummer. Les invités pourront découvrir le timbre et assister à cet événement qui sera diffusé en direct du Centre des salles de théâtre Elgin et Winter Garden à Toronto, le mercredi 13 octobre.

QUI: Invités présents:

  • Elaine Taylor Plummer, épouse de Christopher Plummer
  • Lou Pitt, gérant et ami de longue date
  • Des McAnuff, réalisateur et ami de longue date
  • Peter Mansbridge, maître de cérémonie
  • Beth Hanna, présidente-directrice générale, Centre des salles de théâtre Elgin et Winter Garden
  • Anthony Wilson-Smith, président et chef de la direction, Historica Canada, et président du Comité consultatif sur les timbres-poste
  • Franco Chirichella, chef de la stratégie numérique, Postes Canada

OÙ: Pour accéder à la diffusion en direct de la webémission, cliquez ici.

Compte tenu des restrictions liées à la COVID-19, seules les personnes qui ont reçu une invitation pourront se présenter à l’événement, qui aura lieu au Centre des salles de théâtre Elgin et Winter Garden, au 189 rue Yonge à Toronto.

QUAND: Le mercredi 13 octobre, à 11 h (HE)


Christopher Plummer on IMDb
Christopher Plummer on Wikipedia

Rugby Football Union (UK 2021)

[press release]
Royal Mail Reveal Images of Eight New Stamps That Celebrate the 150th Anniversaries of the Formation of the Rugby Football Union and the First International Match Between England and Scotland In 1871

Issue date: 19 October

    • The dynamic images feature moments from iconic men’s and women’s rugby union matches for all four Home Nations over the past 50 years
    • Featured on one of the stamps is Vicky Macqueen, MBE – who won 34 caps for England – who is pictured making the tackle on Wales’ Melissa Berry
    • Rugby legends from the men’s and women’s game feature on the stamps including: JPR Williams; Emily Scarratt; Sophie Spence; Roy Laidlaw; Kim Littlejohn; Simon Geoghegan; Melissa Berry; and Jonny Wilkinson
    • Images shown on the stamps are from:
      • Women’s Rugby World Cup Final, 2014
      • Five Nations Championship, 1970
      • Women’s Six Nations Championship, 2015
      • Five Nations Championship, 1984
      • Women’s Home Nations Championship, 1998
      • Five Nations Championship, 1994
      • Women’s Six Nations Championship, 2009
      • Rugby World Cup Final, 2003
    • Royal Mail worked closely with all four Home Nations’ governing bodies on the stamp issue
    • The full set of eight stamps, available in a Presentation Pack, retails at £12.40. The stamps and a range of collectible products are available to pre-order now at www.royalmail.com/rugbyunion and go on general sale from 19 October

Royal Mail has revealed images of eight stamps that celebrate the 150th anniversaries of the formation of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the first international match between England and Scotland in 1871.

Rugby legends from the men’s and women’s game feature on the stamps including: JPR Williams; Emily Scarratt; Sophie Spence; Roy Laidlaw; Kim Littlejohn; Simon Geoghegan; Melissa Berry; and Jonny Wilkinson.

Images shown on the stamps are from:

      • Women’s Rugby World Cup Final, 2014
      • Five Nations Championship, 1970
      • Six Nations Championship, 2015
      • Five Nations Championship, 1984
      • Women’s Home Nations Championship, 1998
      • Five Nations Championship, 1994
      • Women’s Six Nations Championship, 2009
      • Rugby World Cup Final, 2003

Also featured on one of the stamps is Vicky Macqueen, MBE – who won 34 caps for England – who is pictured making the tackle on Wales’ Melissa Berry during a match in the 2009 Women’s Six Nations Championship.

David Gold, Director of External Affairs & Policy, said: “The sport of rugby continues to evolve today and is becoming an ever more inclusive sport – with almost three million women players across the world – increased diversity and inclusivity has seen the culture of the game change, both on and off the field. These stamps are a fitting way to mark Rugby Union’s long and extraordinary history.”

Royal Mail worked closely with all four Rugby Union Home Nations’ governing bodies on selecting the images to be included in the stamp issue.

The full set of eight stamps, available in a Presentation Pack, retails at £12.40. The stamps and a range of collectible products are available to pre-order from today (5 October) at www.royalmail.com/rugbyunion and go on general sale from 19 October.

Rugby Football Union
The popularity of the ‘rugby’ style of football and corresponding need for universal laws saw 21 English clubs meet in London on 26 January 1871 to form the Rugby Football Union. The first set of laws was approved later that year, not long after England met Scotland’s challenge in the first rugby international. England have won what is now the Six Nations Championship 29 times outright, with ten shared victories, and the Grand Slam (beating every other nation in the competition) 13 times. England are the only northern hemisphere team to have won the World Cup, beating Australia in 2003.

First International
While England and Scotland had already unofficially met playing ‘football’ rules, most ‘football’ clubs north of the border played a game far more similar to modern rugby and were determined to test national sporting strengths along these lines. On 27 March 1871, the countries met at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, and after an epic contest, Scotland prevailed by one goal to nil. Angus Buchanan scored the crucial ‘try’ (grounding the ball over the opponents’ goal line), which afforded William Cross the chance to kick the ball over the crossbar and between the posts – at the time, the only way to score a point.

The Women’s Game
No area of rugby union has seen greater growth in recent years, so much so that few clubs in countries where the sport is long established do not now have strong women’s sections, while the proportion of women playing is noticeably high in countries in which the sport is becoming established. The first Women’s Home Nations Championship was staged in 1996 and the first official Women’s Rugby World Cup in 1998: New Zealand, due to host the next World Cup in 2022, have been world champions five times, England twice and the United States once. There are now approaching three million female players across the world.

Scottish Rugby Union
Founded in 1873 and based since 1925 at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, the SRU played a leading role in the development of the modern game and is responsible for all Scotland’s national sides, as well as the country’s domestic leagues and competitions. Having beaten England in the first international played, Scotland have gone on to win what is now the Six Nations Championship 15 times outright and have shared the title nine times. They have won the Grand Slam three times, most recently in 1990, and competed in every World Cup, with a best-placed finish of fourth.

Welsh Rugby Union
Since the formation of the Welsh Rugby Union in 1881, the nation has produced some of the world’s finest players. The national side was arguably the best in the world in the years running up to the First World War, and again in the 1970s. Wales have won what is now the Six Nations Championship 28 times outright, with 12 shared victories, and the Grand Slam (beating every other country) on 12 occasions, most recently in 2019. They have competed in every World Cup, reaching the semi-finals three times.

Irish Rugby Football Union
Ireland played their first international against England in 1875, four years before the founding of the Irish Rugby Football Union, which manages the sport across the entire sland. Ireland, along with Scotland and Wales, were founding members of the Home Nations Championship, the predecessor of the Six Nations Championship, which they have won 14 times outright, with nine shared titles. They have also won three Grand Slams and in recent years have become one of the strongest teams in world rugby, combining vigour and verve with physicality and commitment. Ireland have competed in all nine World Cup tournaments and missed out on the quarter finals on two occasions.

Stamp-By-Stamp:

Women’s Rugby World Cup Final, 2014
After defeat in three successive finals, England win the World Cup. Tries from Emily Scarratt (pictured, with ball) and Danielle Waterman secure victory.

Five Nations Championship, 1970
A victory marking the start of a glorious era in Welsh rugby for a side featuring greats like JPR Williams (pictured), Gareth Edwards and Mervyn Davies.

Women’s Six Nations Championship, 2015
Needing to win to secure the title, a rampant Ireland – with lock Sophie Spence (pictured) to the fore – ran in 11 tries to become champions.

Five Nations Championship, 1984
Scrum-half Roy Laidlaw (pictured, with ball) scored two tries as Scotland became outright winners of the Five Nations Championship for the first time since 1938.

Women’s Home Nations Championship, 1998
Led by Kim Littlejohn (pictured, far left), Scotland complete a five-year journey from novices to best team in Europe with a win that boosted the sport’s status in the country.

Five Nations Championship, 1994
Ireland upset the odds to win at Twickenham for the first time in 12 years – a brilliant try by Simon Geoghegan (pictured) inspiring a generation of outstanding players.

Women’s Six Nations Championship, 2009
Non Evans kicks the winning penalty in the final minute as Wales, captained by Melissa Berry (pictured), beat England for the first time and win the Triple Crown.

Rugby World Cup Final, 2003 (above)
Jason Robinson’s try and five successful kicks from Jonny Wilkinson (pictured) see England become the first northern hemisphere country to win the World Cup.

U.S. Scott Catalogue Numbers (October 2021 Update)

5621 (55¢) Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses – Montauk Point Lighthouse
a. Imperforate
5622 (55¢) Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses – Navesink Twin Lighthouses
a. Imperforate
5623 (55¢) Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses – Erie Harbor Lighthouse
a. Imperforate
5624 (55¢) Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses – Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse
a. Imperforate
5625 (55¢) Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses – Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse
a. Imperforate
b. Horiz. strip of 5, #5621-5625
c. Imperforate strip of 5, #5621a-5625a

5626 (55¢) Missouri Statehood Bicentenary
a. Imperforate

5627 (55¢) Backyard Games – Horseshoes
a. Imperforate
5628 (55¢) Backyard Games – Bocce
a. Imperforate
5629 (55¢) Backyard Games – Flying Disc
a. Imperforate
5630 (55¢) Backyard Games – Croquet
a. Imperforate
5631 (55¢) Backyard Games – Pick-up Baseball Variation
a. Imperforate
5632 (55¢) Backyard Games – Tetherball
a. Imperforate
5633 (55¢) Backyard Games – Badminton
a. Imperforate
5634 (55¢) Backyard Games – Cornhole
a. Imperforate
b. Block of 8, #5626-5634
c. Imperforate block of 8, #5626a-5634a

UN Expo 21 Postponed to 2022

From the APS website:

“Due to COVID concerns, the UNEXPO has been postponed. The event will be moved to 2022, exact dates yet to come.”

“Scott English and the APS show committee in consultation with me as UNEXPO21 Chairman,” Greg Galetti said in response to a question in the American First Day Cover Society’s Facebook group.

UN Expo 2021 was to be the first in a series of specific-area shows each October at the American Philatelic Center (American Philatelic Society/American Philatelic Research Library) headquarters. Aerophilately 2022 (American Air Mail Society) is scheduled for next year, and there are reports of later October shows at the APC for ESPER (Ebony Society for Philatelic Experiences and Reflections) (black history) and the AFDCS.

It is one of at least five stamp shows scheduled for October that have been canceled, including World Series of Philately shows SESCAL (California) and NOJEX (New Jersey.

Children’s Welfare: Mr Bumble and Tom Puss (Netherlands 2021)

[press release]
Issue: 2021 Children’s Welfare Stamps
Date of issue: 11 October 2021
Appearance: sheetlet of five special stamps in five different designs, marked with ‘1’, the denomination for mail up to 20 g in weight destined for delivery in the Netherlands, with a € 0.48 surcharge
Item number: 410960
Illustrations: Tim Artz, Nijmegen
Design: Ubald Seveke, Amsterdam

On 11 October 2021, PostNL will issue a new stamp sheetlet with Children’s Welfare Stamps marked with ‘1’ for destinations within the Netherlands. The five stamps are dedicated to the 80th birthday of Tom Puss. Since 1924, PostNL has been issuing Children’s Welfare Stamps to raise money for projects aimed at improving the welfare of vulnerable children. This is achieved by adding a € 0.48 surcharge to each stamp. The proceeds from all surcharges will be used for projects developed by the independent Stichting Kinderpostzegels Nederland foundation. The foundation is committed to giving children in both the Netherlands and in other countries a chance of a better life. To make this aid possible, the foundation organises, among other things, the Children’s Welfare Stamps campaign. The campaign has been listed in the Dutch National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2017.

The Children’s Welfare Stamps campaign aims to offer help to children who do not have a safe home. This year, more than 100,000 pupils from the last two years of primary schools will be taking orders for the Children’s Welfare Stamps from 29 September up to and including 6 October. Because of corona, new ways of presenting the stamps have been devised. For example, children can send personal video messages. With a special sales box and order forms through the letterbox, it is also possible to keep the necessary distance at the door. PostNL will deliver all orders from 11 October. The proceeds from the 2020 campaign amounted to 7.6 million Euro.

In 1941, now 80 years ago, the first of 177 stories conceived by Marten Toonder (1912-2005) was published. The stories, in which Tom Puss and his friend Olivier B. Bumble experience countless adventures, together form the classic Bumble saga. For nearly 60 years, Tom Puss appeared in many Dutch newspapers almost every day. The daily comic took the form of a text strip in black and white, with the text underneath the pictures. From 1955, Tom Puss also appeared in the weekly magazine Donald Duck, as a balloon comic in colour. The success of the comic led to the creation of the Toonder Studios where other comics such as Panda, Kappie and King Hollewijn were made as well. In addition to the comic department, there was a successful animation department. The Toonder Studios were closed in 2002, but Marten Toonder’s work continues. The copyright on Marten Toonder’s works is vested in the Stichting Het Toonder Auteursrecht foundation; the business activities have been incorporated in the Toonder Company, and the licences are managed by Rubinstein publishing company.

Stamps about Tom Puss and Olivier B. Bumble were already published at an earlier time, such as, for example, the stamps Tom Puss 75 years (design Frank Janse) in 2016, and the Comic Stamps (design Julius Vermeulen) in 1996.

Pascal de Smit, Director of Stichting Kinderpostzegels: “As with children’s stamps, millions of children have grown up with the adventures of Mr. Olivier B. Bumble and Tom Puss. We are therefore pleased and proud that the comic heroes can be seen on this year’s children’s stamps and are celebrating their 80th anniversary with us. After all this time, their stories are still alive and connected to current issues.”

Design
The Children’s Welfare Stamps 2021 feature various characters from the adventures of Mr Bumble and Tom Puss. The sheetlet includes four equally sized stamps and one double-sized stamp in the middle. On the large stamp, Tom Puss and Mr Bumble walk side by side along a sandy path. The smaller stamps are reserved for other characters from the adventures of Tom Puss: Doddeltje, Wammes Waggel, the butler Joost, and the Marquis de Canteclaer. Together, the five stamps show a large scene in the open air. To the left and right, the illustration is flanked by two large trees. Near the left tree, Doddeltje is picking mushrooms, and between the roots of the right tree, Wammes is playing his accordion. The stamp with Joost shows Bommelstein Castle. On the stamp with the Marquis, the Dark Trees Woods can be seen in the distance. The illustration continues on the edge of the sheet, which also features the logos of Tom Puss 80 years, the Children’s Welfare Stamps campaign, and PostNL.

For the typography of the texts, the Antique Olive (1958, Roger Excoffon) and the Comic Sans (1994, Vincent Connare) were used.

The illustration on the Children’s Welfare Stamps 2021 was made by comic strip artist Tim Artz. He became acquainted with Mr Bumble and Tom Puss at a very young age. “I was four or five years old when I saw the film If you know what I mean on television. My parents still have drawings that I made of Bommelstein Castle, Tom Puss, and the little dragon. Every year I would check the TV guide to see if it was being broadcast again. Until I got the film on video at the feast of Saint Nicholas. This is how my love of drawing was born. And of Marten Toonder’s work. I now also draw for Disney and previously for Woezel and Pip and Ducktales, but everything started with Mr Bumble and Tom Puss. First with the film, then with the balloon strips in Donald Duck and, when I was about eight years old, with the giant pocket books published by De Bezige Bij. For me, Tom Puss is the greatest comic hero in the Netherlands. Toonder was leading because of his beautiful drawings with a lot of attention for the atmosphere and the characters. I wanted that too.”

Young Artz published his drawings on Internet forums. His talent was quickly recognised; first by Disney, later by the Toonder Company. Artz: “In 2015, the Toonder Company was looking for illustrators for individual illustrations. That’s how I got into it. Recently, it has been very busy because of the celebration of Tom Puss’ 80th birthday. For example, I worked on the new comic book Tom Puss and the time-turner for two years. The story for this book had already been written before I was born. It was very special. I also made the illustrations for a new Golden Booklet. And for the stamps, of course.”

In recent years, Artz has become ever more familiar with Toonder’s way of drawing. “Obviously, you start by copying,” he says. “It becomes more difficult when you want to put the characters in different situations and poses. I have practised endlessly. I also learned from other illustrators with Toonder experience. I looked at the work of Piet Wijn for inspiration, and also that of Wil Raymakers and Henrieke Goorhuis. It is often about very subtle details. Moreover, Toonder’s characters act much more than the average comic character. That makes it extra difficult.”

Artz was asked to create a large scene for the children’s stamps, composed of five smaller scenes for each stamp. Furthermore, he was given complete freedom to choose the characters and the scenery. “I put the big stamp right in the middle, with Mr Bumble and Tom Puss on it together. This was a logical choice. I have not thought too long about the other characters either. Doddeltje and Joost are the closest to the main characters, and Wammes Waggel is one of my personal favourites. I hesitated a little longer about De Canteclaer. Hocus P. Pas and Kwetal were also good candidates. But the marquis is very popular with the fans. I often notice that at signing sessions. I also think it’s a great character myself.”

In the scene devised by Artz, Mr Bumble and Tom Puss walk side by side. The butler Joost follows with the picnic basket, Doddeltje is picking mushrooms. Wammes provides the music, and the marquis watches from a distance, disapproving as always. “They are having a picnic for Tom Puss’ birthday,” says Artz. “Other than that, there is no big story attached to it. Doddeltje picks mushrooms because the children’s stamps come out in the autumn. That is also why the leaves on the left tree are yellow. The biggest puzzle was to give the individual scenes a natural place within the individual stamps. In the drawing I have added some difference in height for the characters who are further away, like Joost and the marquis. Otherwise they would be too small on the stamp. And Wammes’ feet are lying comfortably on a stone because that makes the typography stand out better.”

Between 1957 and 1966, stories about Mr Bumble and Tom Puss appeared in Revue weekly magazine. The accompanying drawings were given their own treatment with special colouring. Artz used the atmosphere of these Revue comics as inspiration for his illustration on the children’s stamps, after he had studied a Golden Booklet to learn about this style. “Many fans of Mr Bumble and Tom Puss consider the stories in Revue to be the most beautiful colour work that has come out of the Toonder studios. So do I. It has a picturesque appearance. You can see this in the trees, for example. These are real Toonder trees: large, gnarled, and twisted. They almost seem like characters. I also wanted to keep it light and friendly. Fresh and cheerful. Precisely because they are children’s stamps.”

Graphic designer Ubald Seveke from Amsterdam was responsible for the design of the Children’s Welfare Stamps 2021. Seveke is familiar with the world of illustrations and comics. For example, he has designed many books for Rubinstein publishers with Dick Bruna’s Miffy in the leading role. Seveke also devised the logo of Puss 80 years, commissioned by the Toonder Company.

More about Marten Toonder
In the Toonder Studios, Marten Toonder (1912-2005) liked working on the newspaper comic about Tom Puss and Olivier B. Bumble best. After moving to Ireland in 1965, Toonder worked with renewed energy on the comic, which gradually developed from a children’s comic into a literary phenomenon. Via the literary giant pocket books published by De Bezige Bij, the comic found its way to an adult audience. On the occasion of Tom Puss’ 80th birthday, a new adventure was published in comic book form this year, The time-turner. An adaptation of the balloon comic book The blowing spirit was also published as a Golden Booklet. This year, shoe manufacturer Van Bommel (Mr Bumble’s Dutch namesake) is selling special Bommel shoes and, in a few years’ time, an indoor amusement park will arise in the Achterhoek region under the name Bommel world.

More about Children’s Welfare Stamps
Children’s Welfare Stamps were first issued in 1924 to give children orphaned due to the Spanish flu a safe home. The rich history shows many milestones. In 1948, children started selling stamps from door to door for the very first time. Since then, many princes and princesses have been depicted on the stamps, and major organisations and projects such as the Children’s helpline were established thanks to the money raised by the Children’s Welfare Stamps campaign. Stichting Kinderpostzegels Nederland is still committed to supporting children who live in an unsafe home environment. Projects such as Huisje Boompje Beestje and the Warm Welcome Bag help children feel at home in shelters for the homeless and for women.

More about the theme: Give more power
The corona crisis has had a profound effect on the lives of all 1.5 million primary school pupils in the Netherlands. The long-term consequences of the abrupt closing of schools and loss of social contacts are slowly becoming apparent. Reports of domestic violence are increasing in number, and more children are affected by poverty. This year, more than ever before, children’s requests for help are about emotional problems such as loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Every child has been affected by the consequences of the corona measures. As a result, every child has become vulnerable. The proceeds of the Children’s Welfare Stamps campaign go to projects that help children develop more resilience, so that they are better able to cope with these times of crisis.

Sale/Validity
Pupils from the last two years of primary schools will be taking orders for the Children’s Welfare Stamps from 29 September up to and including 6 October 2021. While stocks last, the stamps are available at Bruna as well as via www.postnl.nl/bijzondere-postzegels and on the Stichting Kinderpostzegels Nederland website. The stamps can also be ordered by phone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number +31 (0)88 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.

The denomination on these stamps is ‘1’, the denomination for items weighing up to 20 g destined for delivery in the Netherlands.

Technical Details
Stamp size: 4 stamps measuring 36 x 25 mm and 1 stamp measuring 36 x 50 mm:
Sheet size: 144 x 75 mm
Paper: normal with phosphor print
Glue: synthetic
Printing technique: offset
Printing colours: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black
Print run: 1,232,000 sheets
Format: sheet of 5 stamps in 5 different designs
Illustration: Tim Artz, Nijmegen
Design: Ubald Seveke, Amsterdam
Printing company: Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé B.V., Haarlem
Item number: 410960

Copyright
© 2021 Koninklijke PostNL BV
Illustration © Stichting Het Toonder Auteursrecht, licensed by Rubin

Editorial Cartoonists (Canada 2021)

Updated October 8th:
[press release]
Canada Post stamp honours editorial cartoonist Bruce MacKinnon
One of five cartoonists being recognized with a stamp, his vast body of work displays wide range from impish cheek to deep empathy

HALIFAX – Canada Post today unveiled a stamp paying tribute to Bruce MacKinnon of The Chronicle Herald (Halifax), one of the country’s most thoughtful, talented and respected editorial cartoonists.

MacKinnon had his first editorial cartoon published in his hometown weekly paper in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, when he was just 14. After he drew weekly cartoons for the Herald, the paper hired him full time in 1986. Since then, he has drawn roughly 8,000 cartoons – but it is their quality that has won him numerous accolades.

His deeply touching tribute to a reservist killed at the National War Memorial was shared around the country and the world, as was his cartoon following the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018. On such dark days, he reflects the gravity of the situation in a way that he calls “subtle and nuanced.”

MacKinnon has won 21 Atlantic Journalism Awards, six National Newspaper Awards for editorial cartooning (and a seventh, the inaugural Journalist of the Year award) and the World Press Freedom International Editorial Cartoon Competition. The citation for his appointment as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2016 describes him as “one of Canada’s most skilled, empathetic and provocative editorial cartoonists.”

More here

[en Francais pour les médias d’information]
Un timbre de Postes Canada rend hommage au caricaturiste de presse Bruce MacKinnon
L’un des cinq caricaturistes à l’honneur dans cette émission, ses œuvres commentent l’actualité avec humour et aussi avec une grande empathie

HALIFAX – Postes Canada a dévoilé aujourd’hui un timbre rendant hommage à Bruce MacKinnon. Caricaturiste de presse pour leChronicle Herald d’Halifax, il est reconnu comme l’un des plus réfléchis, talentueux et respectés au pays.

Bruce MacKinnon n’a que 14 ans lorsqu’il publie sa première caricature dans l’hebdomadaire de sa ville natale d’Antigonish, en Nouvelle-Écosse. Après qu’il ait réalisé des caricatures hebdomadaires pour le Herald, le quotidien l’embauche à temps plein en 1986. Depuis, il a produit environ 8 000 illustrations. Au delà de la quantité, c’est la qualité de ses œuvres qui lui rapporte de nombreuses distinctions.

Son hommage profondément touchant à un réserviste tué au Monument commémoratif de guerre du Canada a fait le tour du monde, tout comme son illustration à la suite de l’accident impliquant un autobus des Broncos de Humboldt en 2018. Durant ces moments difficiles, il souligne l’importance d’illustrer le sérieux d’une situation « avec sensibilité et sobriété ».

Au fil de sa brillante carrière, le caricaturiste remporte sept fois le Concours canadien de journalisme (dont le premier prix Journaliste de l’année), 21 Prix du journalisme de l’Atlantique et le Concours international de dessin pour la liberté de la presse. On le nomme membre de l’Ordre du Canada en 2016. La citation le décrit comme « l’un des caricaturistes de presse les plus compétents, empathiques et provocateurs du Canada ».

Lire la suite ici

Updated October 7th:
[press release]
Canada Post stamp honours editorial cartoonist Duncan Macpherson
Macpherson, the first editorial cartoonist invested into the Order of Canada, is one of five cartoonists being recognized for their contributions to Canadian journalism, humour and art

TORONTO – Canada Post today unveiled a stamp paying tribute to Duncan Macpherson (1924-93), who is widely considered one of the most influential cartoonists in Canada.

An editorial cartoonist for the Toronto Star for more than three decades, Duncan Macpherson drew witty cartoons that challenged what he called “wrongness” on behalf of everyday Canadians. Macpherson also helped reshape the profession for a generation of cartoonists by being the first to hire an agent to negotiate his salary and by pushing for editorial independence. Sometimes, his cartoons opposed the editorial stance of his own newspaper.

“Having dad honoured in this way revives his memory and his name. I’m so proud of his achievements,” says his son, Ian Macpherson. “For me personally, this rediscovery of my dad’s work and its influence has been a terrific experience.”

The first editorial cartoonist to be invested into the Order of Canada, Macpherson received six National Newspaper Awards, the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts medal and the Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prize. He died in 1993 at age 68.

More here

[en Francais pour les médias d’information]
Un timbre de Postes Canada rend hommage au caricaturiste de presse Duncan Macpherson
Duncan Macpherson, le premier caricaturiste à être décoré de l’Ordre du Canada en 1988, est l’un des cinq caricaturistes honorés pour leur contribution au journalisme, à l’humour et à l’art au pays

TORONTO, le 7 oct. 2021 /CNW/ – Postes Canada a dévoilé aujourd’hui un timbre rendant hommage à Duncan Macpherson (1924-1993), considéré comme l’un des caricaturistes les plus influents au Canada.

Caricaturiste de presse pour le Toronto Star pendant plus de trois décennies, il dessine des caricatures pleines d’esprit, remettant en question ce qu’il appelle « l’injustice » au nom des Canadiens ordinaires. L’artiste ouvre également la voie à une nouvelle génération en étant le premier caricaturiste canadien à négocier son salaire en passant par un agent. Parfois, ses dessins contredisent la position de son propre journal.

« Le fait que mon père soit honoré de cette façon ravive sa mémoire et son nom, affirme son fils Ian Macpherson. Je suis très fier de ses réalisations. Pour moi, cette redécouverte du travail et de l’influence de mon père a été une expérience formidable. »

Premier caricaturiste à être admis à l’Ordre du Canada, Duncan Macpherson remporte six fois le Concours canadien de journalisme, en plus de recevoir la médaille de l’Académie royale des arts du Canada et le Prix Molson du Conseil des arts du Canada. Il décède en 1993, à l’âge de 68 ans.

Lire la suite ici

Updated October 6th:
[press release]
Canada Post stamp honours editorial cartoonist Terry Mosher
One of five editorial cartoonists being honoured with a stamp, “Aislin” is commemorated for 50 years of thought-provoking work

MONTRÉAL – Canada Post today released a stamp paying tribute to Terry Mosher, the long-time editorial cartoonist for the Montreal Gazette, known as Aislin. It is the third in a five-stamp set honouring editorial cartoonists in Canada.

Mosher began his career drawing portraits and caricatures of tourists in the 1960s and was one of the founders of Artists’ Alley, an open-air gallery on Rue du Trésor in Québec – still a popular attraction.

He freelanced editorial cartoons to the Montreal Star before being hired there full-time in 1967. Five years later, he moved to the Montreal Gazette, where he is still drawing two cartoons a week. His 52nd book – Aislin’s Favourite COVID Cartoons from Around the World – was just released in September.Believing that “no person or no thing is ever perfect,” Mosher upholds cartoonists’ satirical role, despite the controversies and criticism cartoons can provoke. “We all have faults and weaknesses,” he once said. “Can we admit as much by laughing at our frailties?”

Mosher has drawn more than 14,000 cartoons; some have appeared in Time, The Atlantic Monthly, the New York Times International Edition, Punch and National Lampoon. He also earned two National Newspaper Awards, a gold National Magazine Award and was the youngest person to be inducted into the Canadian News Hall of Fame at age 43. He was also inducted into the Canadian Cartoonists Hall of Fame, is President Emeritus of the Association of Canadian Cartoonists and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada (2002).

More here

[en Francais pour les médias d’information]
Un timbre de Postes Canada rend hommage au caricaturiste de presse Terry Mosher
Aislin, qui dessine des caricatures mordantes depuis 50 ans, est l’un des cinq caricaturistes à être mis en vedette sur un timbre

MONTRÉAL, le 6 oct. 2021 /CNW/ – Postes Canada a émis aujourd’hui un timbre rendant hommage au caricaturiste de longue date du Montreal Gazette Terry Mosher, mieux connu sous le nom d’Aislin. Il s’agit du troisième timbre d’un jeu de cinq consacré aux caricaturistes canadiens.

Terry Mosher commence sa carrière dans les années 1960 en dessinant des portraits et des caricatures de touristes. Il est l’un des fondateurs d’Artists’ Alley, la galerie en plein air sur la rue du Trésor à Québec.

Il décroche un emploi de caricaturiste pigiste pour le Montreal Star avant d’être embauché à temps plein en 1967. Cinq ans plus tard, il se joint à la Gazette de Montréal, journal pour lequel il dessine deux caricatures par semaine, ce qu’il fait toujours aujourd’hui. Son52e livre, intitulé Aislin’s Favourite COVID Cartoons from Around the World, a été publié en septembre 2021.Croyant que « rien ni personne n’est parfait », Terry Mosher soutient le rôle satirique des caricaturistes, malgré les critiques qu’ils essuient parfois et les controverses que leurs dessins peuvent causer. « Nous avons tous des qualités et des défauts, souligne-t-il. Pouvons-nous l’admettre en riant de nos faiblesses? »

Au cours de sa carrière, l’artiste produit plus de 14 000 caricatures, dont certaines sont publiées dans Time, The Atlantic Monthly, le New York Times International Edition, Punch ou encore le National Lampoon. Aislin remporte deux fois le Concours canadien de journalisme, ainsi qu’une médaille d’or aux Prix du magazine canadien. À 43 ans, il devient le plus jeune membre du Temple de la renommée du journalisme canadien. Il est également intronisé au Temple de la renommée des caricaturistes canadiens, et il est aujourd’hui Officier de l’Ordre du Canada et président émérite de l’Association des caricaturistes canadiens.

Lire la suite ici

Updated October 5th:
[press release] (identical text to previous press releasea not included)
Canada Post stamp honours editorial cartoonist Brian Gable
One of five editorial cartoonists being recognized with a stamp, Gable is a legend of his profession who uses wit, humour to connect with readers

TORONTO – Canada Post unveiled a stamp today celebrating award-winning editorial cartoonist Brian Gable, whose work over several decades is widely lauded for making Canadians laugh and reflect.

Gable has been drawing his witty cartoons for daily newspapers for more than 40 years, including more than three decades as the editorial cartoonist for The Globe and Mail. He earned degrees in fine art and in education and penned his first published editorial cartoon for a student newspaper while in university. In 1977, he began freelancing editorial cartoons once a week for the Brockville Recorder and Times while teaching high school art in Brockville, Ontario. In 1980, he became an editorial cartoonist for the Regina Leader-Post, where he worked for seven years before joining The Globe and Mail in 1987.

Gable captures the voices of average citizens in his cartoons and how they see decisions made by the powers that be. He regularly uses satire and sarcasm to highlight important issues facing our country and the world. He has won seven National Newspaper Awards for editorial cartooning. In 2018, he was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada. His citation said he’s “a legend within the editorial cartooning community” and that his work “embodies our national sense of humour, namely our ability to laugh at ourselves and our institutions.”

More here

[en Francais pour les médias d’information]
Un timbre de Postes Canada rend hommage au caricaturiste de presse Brian Gable
L’un des cinq caricaturistes à l’honneur dans cette émission, Brian Gable est une légende de sa profession, reconnu pour son brillant humour

TORONTO – Postes Canada a dévoilé aujourd’hui un timbre en hommage au caricaturiste de presse primé Brian Gable, dont les œuvres font rire et réfléchir les Canadiens.

Brian Gable nous présente ses caricatures de presse pleines d’esprit tous les jours depuis plus de 40 ans, la majorité ayant été publiées dans le Globe and Mail. Titulaire de diplômes en beaux-arts et en éducation, il réalise sa première caricature éditoriale pour un journal étudiant durant ses études universitaires. En 1977, il commence à faire des caricatures une fois par semaine pour le Brockville Recorder and Times tout en enseignant l’art à l’école secondaire de Brockville, en Ontario. En 1980, il devient caricaturiste de presse pour le Regina Leader-Post. Il y travaille pendant sept ans puis entre au Globe and Mail en 1987.

Dans ses caricatures, l’artiste représente les gens ordinaires et la façon dont ils perçoivent décisions prises par les grands dirigeants de ce monde. Il utilise régulièrement la satire et l’ironie pour mettre en évidence les enjeux importants auxquels notre pays et le monde sont confrontés. Durant sa carrière, il remporte sept fois le Concours canadien de journalisme pour la caricature éditoriale. En 2018, il est investi à titre de Membre de l’Ordre du Canada. Sa citation le décrit comme « une légende au sein de la communauté des caricaturistes de presse » et souligne que son travail « incarne notre sens de l’humour national, à savoir notre capacité à rire de nous-mêmes et de nos institutions ».

Lire la suite ici

Updated October 4th:
[press release]
Canada Post pays tribute to editorial cartoonist Serge Chapleau
One of five newspaper cartoonists whose work is featured on a stamp, Chapleau is honoured for his unique take on 50 years of news

MONTRÉAL – Canada Post unveiled today a stamp honouring Serge Chapleau, the editorial cartoonist at La Presse and a true pioneer of his profession.

Serge Chapleau has drawn inspiration from the biggest European cartoonists and is known for his unique style and high-precision work. From his very first drawing, a portrait of singer Gilles Vigneault published in Perspectives magazine in March 1972, Chapleau became an overnight sensation and quickly established himself as one of the top cartoonists in the Montréal press. After working for various publications, including Le Devoir, L’actualité and 7 jours, he became staff cartoonist for daily newspaper La Presse in 1996, a position he holds to this day.

Through more than 7,000 drawings over the past 50 years, Chapleau has made people laugh and think by conveying the zeitgeist in a single image. In 1982, as a true pioneer of his profession, he became the first cartoonist to bring his characters to life on television. First with rubber puppets, then graphic animations, his famous character Gérard D. Laflaque captivated audiences, and nearly 500 episodes of shows Et Dieu créa… Laflaque and then ICI Laflaque were aired on Radio-Canada.

Winner of a record eight National Newspaper Awards (Editorial Cartooning category), Chapleau has published L’année Chapleau, a yearly collection of his best press drawings, since 1993. When he was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2015, he was recognized as “one of Canada’s most innovative and respected cartoonists,” and also a pioneer, having created animated cartoons for television.

Canada Post unveils five stamps
Canada Post’s other stamps in this set pay tribute to Brian Gable (The Globe and Mail, to be unveiled October 5), Terry Mosher (Montreal Gazette, October 6), Duncan Macpherson (Toronto Star, October 7) and Bruce MacKinnon (The Chronicle Herald, October 8). A live panel discussion with the cartoonists and Ian Macpherson, Duncan’s son, will be held online on October 8 at 11 am, ET. Register for the webcast here.

About the stamp issue
Canada Post’s newest stamp issue celebrates five of Canada’s greatest editorial cartoonists, whose thought-provoking and seminal work has helped shape our national fabric over the last half-century. The five award-winning cartoonists, each honoured with their own stamp, are some of our country’s best journalists and storytellers. Their

OFDC reverse

powerful drawings have been important fixtures in some of Canada’s most prominent and influential newspapers for decades.

Armed with pencils, ink and razor-sharp wit, these editorial cartoonists have boiled down complex issues into a single image – providing pointed commentary on important domestic and world events. Challenging the status quo and tackling controversial subjects head-on, their work has transcended politics and played an important role in upholding Canadian democratic freedoms.

These talented Canadian artists have made us laugh, reflect and cry with cartoons that tap into the emotions of a country. Their combination of humour and art has enlightened and entertained us, contributed to national debate, and brought attention to unfairness and injustice. Canada Post is proud to honour their enormous contributions to Canadian media and society.

[en Francais pour les médias d’information]
Postes Canada rend hommage au caricaturiste Serge Chapleau
L’un des cinq caricaturistes de presse à être mis en vedette sur un timbre, Chapleau est honoré pour son regard unique sur 50 ans d’actualité

MONTRÉAL – Postes Canada a dévoilé aujourd’hui un timbre-poste rendant hommage à Serge Chapleau, caricaturiste au journal La Presse et véritable pionnier de la profession.

S’inspirant des plus célèbres bédéistes européens, Serge Chapleau est reconnu pour son style unique et ses portraits d’une grande précision. Dès son premier dessin publié, un portrait du chanteur Gilles Vigneault dans le magazine Perspectives en mars 1972, Chapleau a fait sensation et est rapidement devenu l’un des caricaturistes incontournables de la presse montréalaise. Après diverses collaborations fructueuses, notamment dans le journal Le Devoir et les magazines L’actualité et 7 jours, il est devenu le caricaturiste attitré du quotidien La Presse en 1996, un poste qu’il occupe encore aujourd’hui.

Grâce à plus de 7 000 dessins réalisés depuis 50 ans, Chapleau fait rire et réfléchir en racontant en une image ce qui agite et ébranle la société. Véritable pionnier de la profession, il est devenu en 1982 le premier caricaturiste à donner vie à ses personnages au petit écran. D’abord avec des marionnettes en caoutchouc, qui deviendront plus tard des animations graphiques, son personnage Gérard D. Laflaque a séduit l’auditoire et près de 500 épisodes des émissions Et Dieu créa… Laflaque puis ICI Laflaque ont été diffusés par Radio-Canada.

Récipiendaire de huit prix du Concours canadien de journalisme dans la catégorie Caricature, un record, Chapleau publie depuis 1993 L’année Chapleau, un recueil annuel de ses meilleurs dessins de presse. Lorsqu’il est reçu Membre de l’Ordre du Canada en 2015, on le présente comme « l’un des caricaturistes les plus innovateurs et respectés au pays », en précisant qu’il « a aussi fait figure de pionnier grâce à sa caricature animée ».

Postes Canada dévoile cinq timbres
Les autres timbres de cette émission de Postes Canada rendent hommage à Brian Gable (The Globe and Mail, dévoilement le 5 octobre), Terry Mosher (Montreal Gazette, 6 octobre), Duncan Macpherson (Toronto Star, 7 octobre) et Bruce MacKinnon (The Chronicle Herald, 8 octobre). Une discussion en direct avec les caricaturistes et Ian Macpherson, fils de Duncan Macpherson, aura lieu en ligne le 8 octobre à 11 h (HE). Inscrivez-vous à la webémission.

À propos de l’émission de timbres
La plus récente émission de timbres de Postes Canada rend hommage à cinq des plus grands caricaturistes éditoriaux du pays, dont les œuvres inspirantes et marquantes

OFDC reverse

contribuent à la création du tissu social canadien depuis 50 ans. Ces cinq caricaturistes primés, chacun honoré par son propre timbre, comptent parmi les meilleurs journalistes et raconteurs de notre pays. Leurs dessins percutants ont été des éléments importants dans certains des journaux les plus lus et les plus influents du Canada pendant des décennies.

Armés de crayons, d’encre et d’un esprit aiguisé, ces caricaturistes de presse ont illustré des problèmes complexes en une seule image et commenté avec une grande pertinence d’importants événements sur la scène nationale et internationale. Contestant le statu quo et abordant de front des sujets controversés, leur travail a transcendé la politique et joué un rôle important dans la défense des libertés démocratiques canadiennes.

En dessinant des caricatures qui puisent dans les émotions des Canadiens, ces talentueux artistes nous ont fait rire, réfléchir et pleurer. Alliant humour et art, ils nous informent et nous divertissent, en plus d’alimenter la conversation nationale et de lever le voile sur les inégalités et les injustices. Postes Canada est fière de souligner les contributions importantes de ces caricaturistes aux médias d’ici et à la société canadienne.

Updated October 1st:
[press release]
Canada Post to pay tribute to five legendary editorial cartoonists next week through a special stamp issue
Each day a new stamp will be unveiled, honouring these individuals for their brilliant, funny and provocative images, ending with an online roundtable discussion with the artists

OTTAWA – Over the next week, Canada Post will unveil five stamps that celebrate five of Canada’s greatest editorial cartoonists, whose thought-provoking and seminal work has helped shape our national fabric over the last half-century. Videos and stories will be shared with each unveiling, with a special online roundtable discussion with the artists planned for Friday, October 8.

The five award-winning cartoonists, each honoured with their own stamp, are some of our country’s best journalists and storytellers. Their powerful drawings have been important fixtures in some of Canada’s most prominent and influential newspapers for decades.

Armed with pencils, ink and razor-sharp wit, these editorial cartoonists have boiled down complex issues into a single image – providing pointed commentary on important domestic and world events. Challenging the status quo and tackling controversial subjects head-on, their work has transcended politics and played an important role in upholding Canadian democratic freedoms.

These talented Canadian artists have made us laugh, reflect and cry with cartoons that tap into the emotions of a country. Their combination of humour and art have enlightened and entertained us, contributed to national debate, and brought attention to unfairness and injustice.

Canada Post is proud to honour the enormous contributions to Canadian media and society of these editorial cartoonists:

Monday, October 4: Serge Chapleau of La Presse, winner of eight National Newspaper Awards and a Member of the Order of Canada. An annual collection of his best caricatures has been published every year since 1993. In 2004, his popular puppet character Gérard D. Laflaque was brought to life on the television satire Et Dieu créa…Laflaque.

Tuesday, October 5: Brian Gable of The Globe and Mail, winner of seven National Newspaper Awards and a Member of the Order of Canada, whose citation said his work “embodies our national sense of humour, namely our ability to laugh at ourselves and our institutions.”

Wednesday, October 6: Terry Mosher of the Montreal Gazette, best known by his pen name, Aislin. Over the last half-century, Mosher has drawn more than 14,000 cartoons, which have appeared around the world. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and has won two National Newspaper Awards and a gold National Magazine Award. At 78, he is both a historian and an elder statesman of the craft in Canada; one of Mosher’s more than 50 books is about Duncan Macpherson’s career and influence.

Thursday, October 7: Duncan Macpherson (1924-93), of the Toronto Star, one of the most influential cartoonists in Canada. The first editorial cartoonist to be invested into the Order of Canada, and winner of six National Newspaper Awards, he drew witty cartoons for three decades, challenging what he called “wrongness” on behalf of everyday Canadians. He also successfully pushed for independence from the editorial stance of his own newspaper, thereby changing the role for the editorial cartoonists who followed.

Friday, October 8: Bruce MacKinnon of The Chronicle Herald (Halifax), who has won 21 Atlantic Journalism Awards, six National Newspaper Awards for editorial cartooning (and a seventh, the inaugural Journalist of the Year award) and the World Press Freedom International Editorial Cartoon Competition. His citation as a Member of the Order of Canada called him “one of Canada’s most skilled, empathetic and provocative editorial cartoonists.

The live panel discussion with the cartoonists and Ian Macpherson, Duncan’s son, will be held online on October 8 at 11 am, ET. Register for the webcast here. It will be moderated by Anthony Wilson-Smith, President and CEO of Historica Canada and Chair of the Canada Post Stamp Advisory Committee.

[en Francais pour les médias d’information]
Cinq grands caricaturistes de presse seront à l’honneur dans une émission de timbres la semaine prochaine
Postes Canada dévoilera un timbre par jour, chacun soulignant l’intelligence, l’humour et l’irrévérence des œuvres, et présentera une table ronde en ligne avec les artistes

OTTAWA – Au cours de la prochaine semaine, Postes Canada dévoilera cinq timbres qui rendent hommage à cinq des plus grands caricaturistes éditoriaux du pays, dont les œuvres inspirantes et marquantes contribuent à la création du tissu social canadien depuis 50 ans. Des vidéos et des entrevues seront présentées lors de chaque dévoilement, et la semaine se terminera avec une table ronde en ligne spéciale avec les artistes le vendredi 8 octobre.

Ces cinq caricaturistes primés, chacun honoré par son propre timbre, comptent parmi les meilleurs journalistes et raconteurs de notre pays. Leurs dessins percutants ont été des éléments importants dans certains des journaux les plus lus et les plus influents du Canada pendant des décennies.

Armés de crayons, d’encre et d’un esprit aiguisé, ces caricaturistes de presse ont illustré des problèmes complexes en une seule image et commenté avec une grande pertinence d’importants événements sur la scène nationale et internationale. Contestant le statu quo et abordant de front des sujets controversés, leur travail a transcendé la politique et joué un rôle important dans la défense des libertés démocratiques canadiennes.

En dessinant des caricatures qui puisent dans les émotions des Canadiens, ces talentueux artistes nous ont fait rire, réfléchir et pleurer. Alliant humour et art, ils nous informent et nous divertissent, en plus d’alimenter la conversation nationale et de lever le voile sur les inégalités et les injustices.

Postes Canada est fière de souligner les contributions importantes de ces caricaturistes éditoriaux aux médias d’ici et à la société canadienne.

Lundi 4 octobre : Serge Chapleau de La Presse, huit fois gagnant du Concours canadien de journalisme et membre de l’Ordre du Canada. Une collection annuelle de ses meilleures caricatures est publiée depuis 1993. En 2004, sa populaire marionnette Gérard D. Laflaque est transposée à l’écran dans l’émission satirique Et Dieu créa… Laflaque.

Mardi 5 octobre : Brian Gable du Globe and Mail, huit fois gagnant du Concours canadien de journalisme et membre de l’Ordre du Canada. Sa citation à l’Ordre du Canada souligne que son travail « incarne notre sens de l’humour national, à savoir notre capacité à rire de nous-mêmes et de nos institutions ».

Mercredi 6 octobre : Terry Mosher du Montreal Gazette, mieux connu sous le nom Aislin. Au cours des 50 dernières années, il a réalisé plus de 14 000 caricatures qui ont fait le tour du monde. Officier de l’Ordre du Canada, il remporte deux fois le Concours canadien de journalisme, ainsi qu’une médaille d’or aux Prix du magazine canadien. À 78 ans, il est historien et le doyen du métier au Canada. Il est auteur de plus de 50 livres, dont l’un porte sur la carrière et l’influence de Duncan Macpherson.

Jeudi 7 octobre : Duncan Macpherson (1924-1993), du Toronto Star, est l’un des caricaturistes les plus influents au Canada. Premier caricaturiste de presse à être reçu membre de l’Ordre du Canada et gagnant du Concours canadien de journalisme à six reprises, il a réalisé des caricatures pleines d’esprit pendant trois décennies, remettant en question ce qu’il appelait « l’injustice » au nom des Canadiens ordinaires. Il a également milité pour l’indépendance éditoriale auprès de son employeur, ce qui a changé le rôle des nouvelles générations de caricaturistes de presse.

Vendredi 8 octobre : Bruce MacKinnon du Chronicle Herald d’Halifax, gagnant du Prix du journalisme de l’Atlantique à 21 reprises, du Concours canadien de journalisme (dont le premier prix Journaliste de l’année) à sept reprises et du Concours international de dessin pour la liberté de la presse. Sa citation de membre de l’Ordre du Canada le qualifie de « l’un des caricaturistes de presse les plus compétents, empathiques et provocateurs du Canada ».

Une discussion en direct avec les caricaturistes et Ian Macpherson, fils de Duncan Macpherson, aura lieu en ligne le 8 octobre à 11 h (HE). Inscrivez-vous à la webémission. La discussion sera animée par Anthony Wilson-Smith, président et chef de la direction d’Historica Canada et président du Comité consultatif sur les timbres-poste de Postes Canada.

Posted September 27th:
From Canada Post:
On October 8, the postal service will issue a new set of stamps that highlight the works of five of the nation’s most renowned editorial cartoonists.
We invite you to join us for a unique opportunity to hear directly from these highly acclaimed talents, as they recount tales of covering the news and societal trends, while expressing their opinions and perspectives through their art.

Moderator: Anthony Wilson-Smith, President and CEO, Historica Institute, and Chair, Stamp Advisory Committee

In conversation with

  • Serge Chapleau, La Presse
  • Brian Gable, The Globe and Mail
  • Bruce MacKinnon, The Chronicle Herald
  • Terry Mosher (Aislin), Montreal Gazette
  • Ian Macpherson, representing his father Duncan Macpherson, Toronto Star

Sign up to watch a webcast and the opportunity to submit questions. It begins at 11:00 a.m. and will last for about 60 minutes.

Finalists in Britain’s Kid COVID Stamp Design Contest

[press release]
Royal Mail Announces Young Artist Finalists In Heroes’ Stamp Competition
Secures Guinness World Records® Title For Largest Postage Stamp Design Competition
Competition for UK children to design stamps marking the amazing work of key workers and others during the pandemic received 606,049 entries

  • Royal Mail has announced details of the 120 regional finalists in its Heroes of the Pandemic stamp design competition
  • from North East

    Each of the 120 regional finalists will receive £100 in gift vouchers and £100 for their school

  • Entries were submitted from 7,479 schools, helping Royal Mail to secure the Guinness World Records title for Largest postage stamp design competition
  • The competition was open to UK children aged 4-14 to design a stamp to celebrate their ‘heroes of the pandemic’
  • Eight designs will be chosen as part of a special set of stamps
  • The designs highlight the amazing work played by key workers and others in keeping the UK connected during these unprecedented times
  • Only five times in Royal Mail’s 500-year history have designs created by children been used on stamps; 1966; 1981; 1992; 2013; and 2017
  • The winners will follow in the footsteps of highly acclaimed children’s illustrators who have designed stamps in the past, such as: Quentin Blake; Nick Park; and Axel Scheffler
  • Full details can be found at www.royalmail.com/stampcompetition

 

Royal Mail has announced 120 regional finalists in its stamps design competition to celebrate the heroes of the pandemic.

from London

The 120 regional finalists will each receive £100 in gift vouchers and £100 for their school and will go forward to the next stage of the competition with a chance that their design will appear on a stamp next year.

All 120 images can be viewed or downloaded by region:

from North East

The announcement comes as Royal Mail secured a Guinness World Records® title of Largest postage stamp design competition, which received an incredible 606,049 entries. An astonishing 7,479 schools submitted entries.

The previous highest number of entries received for a stamp design competition was 239,374, achieved for Royal Mail’s Christmas Stamp Design Competition held in 2013.

Royal Mail’s Heroes of the Pandemic stamp competition is now officially:

Guinness World Records
Largest postage stamp design competition

from Wales

The largest postage stamp design competition consisted of 606,049 completed submissions and was achieved by Royal Mail Group Limited and iChild Limited (both UK), London, UK, on 1 July 2021.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “It is of great credit to the children of this country that in world record breaking numbers they picked up their paintbrushes, pens and paints and paid artistic tribute to the heroes of our coronavirus response.

“Their brilliant efforts represent the collective gratitude of the nation to everyone who went above and beyond during the pandemic.

“Congratulations to all those who have made it to the next round and thank you to everyone who has taken part and to the teams at Royal Mail for managing this record number of entries.”

from Scotland

Simon Thompson, Royal Mail CEO, said: “We would like to thank all of the 606,049 children who submitted such brilliant designs to the competition. We have been amazed and impressed by the sheer volume of entries. And to have achieved a Guinness World Records title in the process shows how much the UK’s children value those heroes who have kept the nation moving during such a difficult period. To the 120 regional finalists – Well Done! We are really looking forward to seeing the winning eight designs!”

To arrive at the 120 regional finalists, a network of judges, consisting of current and retired art teachers, evaluated each of the 606,049 entries. Over a three-month period, the best entries from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England were chosen from each age group.

From the 120 regional finalists, a special panel of judges will now determine the winning 24 regional designs in November.

from Northern Ireland

From these 24 entries, eight winning images will be chosen as official Royal Mail stamps. They will then appear on millions of items of mail across the UK when they are issued in the Spring of 2022.

The competition was open to UK schoolchildren to mark the important role played by key and frontline workers, as well as others, during the pandemic. Children, aged 4 to 14, were given the chance to design an official Royal Mail stamp as part of a special set of eight. Children were asked to think about who their hero or heroes were, and to design a stamp in their honour.

The designs received celebrate a wide range of heroes, including: NHS workers; mums; dads; carers; refuse collectors; cleaning staff; teachers; su

from East of England

permarket workers; public transport staff; delivery drivers and, indeed, postmen and postwomen. Also depicted on

the designs were many volunteers who have helped in their local communities or raised money for charity, such as Captain Sir Tom Moore.

Full details can be found at www.royalmail.com/stampcompetition

from East Midlands

As with all Special Stamps issued by Royal Mail, the final eight stamps will be sent to Her Majesty The Queen before they can be printed and issued.

Only five times in the company’s 500-year history have children designed official Royal Mail stamps: 1966; 1981; 1992; 2013; and 2017.

The winners will follow in the footsteps of highly acclaimed children’s illustrators who have designed stamps in the past, such as: Quentin Blake; Nick Park; and Axel Scheffler.

Truth and Reconciliation (Canada 2022)

Updated September 28, 2022:
[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Stamps capture Indigenous artists’ visions for truth and reconciliation
Four-stamp issue features work of First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists

OTTAWA – Canada Post unveiled [28 September] four new stamps that encourage awareness and reflection on the tragic legacy of Indian residential schools and the need for healing and reconciliation. The stamps – being released September 29 in connection with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30 – are the first in an annual series showcasing the visions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists for the future of truth and reconciliation.

Between the 1830s and 1990s, more than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children across Canada were taken from their families and sent to federally created Indian residential schools. They were stripped of their languages, cultures and traditions. Children endured unsafe conditions, disease, and physical, sexual and emotional abuse while at the church-run schools. Thousands of them never made it home. Residential school Survivors continue to experience trauma from their time at the institutions, and that has been passed down to successive generations.

The four-stamp issue will help Canadians reflect on the injustices and trauma that have been inflicted on generations of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples and calls attention to the responsibility all Canadians have in reconciliation. The stamps are cancelled in Brantford, Ontario, the site of the Mohawk Institute, whose opening in the early 1830s made it Canada’s first Indian residential school. The Indigenous languages found on the stamps represent the language and dialect of the artists who created the work.

Jackie Traverse, First Nations artist (Lake St. Martin, Manitoba) – Anishinaabe, Ojibwe
“This image represents seeds of change. Here we have man and woman, the Elders, their children and their grandchildren. I’ve put the (unofficial) national flower, the bunchberry, in the centre to represent Canada, with the roots from the seeds reaching to the past. For all of us to experience a good harvest we need to share the sun, water and the land. This is how we bring forth good crops and ensure everyone has the harvest of tomorrow.”

Traverse’s mother died at a young age and her siblings were apprehended in the Sixties Scoop. She grew up in one of Winnipeg’s toughest neighbourhoods. Traverse is a multi-disciplined Indigenous artist who works in several media, from oil and acrylic paintings to mixed media, stop-motion animation and sculpture. She draws inspiration from her Indigenous culture and her experiences as an Indigenous woman living in Winnipeg. Her work speaks to the realities of being an Indigenous woman.

Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona, Inuit artist – Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake), Nunavut
“I believe each group within Canada has a different responsibility for reconciliation. For Indigenous People, our responsibility is to ourselves and to others within our communities: learning or passing on our language and culture that was attacked only one generation ago. I created a woman lighting a qulliq (QUL-liq), the traditional Inuit stone lamp used for heat and light to signify caretaking. This woman is carrying on in her culture as she has always done, taking care of herself and others and healing.”

Originally from Baker Lake, Nunavut, Kabloona comes from a family of renowned Inuit artists. Art is how she connects with others within her culture, showcases her Inuit heritage, and expresses her Indigenous identity. Kabloona’s work puts a modern take on traditional Inuit imagery, and strong women frequently make appearances in her art. She co-founded a small group ceramics studio and has taught art as therapy at an addictions healing centre for Inuit, located in Ottawa. Last year, Kabloona was awarded a residency at the Art Gallery of Guelph, working with an Inuit curator, and created a new piece to be shown alongside her grandmother’s and great-grandmother’s artwork from the gallery’s collection.

Kim Gullion Stewart, Métis artist – Athabasca, Alberta (currently lives in Pinantan Lake, British Columbia)
“Flowers in Métis art remind people to live in a symbiotic way with land, waterways, ecosystems and one another. In this piece I have placed beaded flowers on top of contour lines representing the Rocky Mountains, twisty lines for rivers and dashes demarking political territories. While maps like this one are a two-dimensional record of historical process and places, they are incomplete until they include elements that are important to the people who are Indigenous on this continent.”

Gullion Stewart was born in Athabasca, Alberta. Her father’s heritage connects her to the Métis homeland of Red River, Man. She creates metaphorical meaning by connecting Métis cultural art forms (hide tanning, beading, quillwork) with contemporary and graphic art forms. In her art, she searches to uncover the depths of her Métis identity and learn Métis knowledge systems that have been hidden, lost or adapted as a survival mechanism. She is inspired by what Métis leader Louis Riel (1844-85) once said: “My people will sleep for 100 years, but when they awake it will be the artists who give them their spirit back.”

Blair Thomson, artist and graphic designer
“A pair of bold hands are held over the eyes and human face. Intended to be cross-representative — those of Indigenous Peoples/Survivors, covering their face in sadness, pain, memories, and those of the settler, masking their view of reality and shame. Tears stream from between the fingers. The background further connects to the school windows, looking out and dreaming of home. The eyes looking out from behind the hands reinforce the message that settlers must ‘never look away again.’”

Thomson is founder and creative director of Believe in, a design practice with studios in Canada and the United Kingdom. A harmony between strategic foundation, unique ideas and beautiful outcomes lies at the heart of his approach and creative processes. His work is multi-award winning and has been featured in many leading design publications worldwide. Thomson is the collector, archivist and historian responsible for Canada Modern (an archive of modernist, Canadian graphic design from 1960-85).
Stamps and collectibles are available at canadapost.ca and postal outlets across Canada.

[en Francais pour les médias d’information]
Timbres illustrant les visions d’artistes autochtones sur la vérité et la réconciliation
Émission de quatre timbres mettant en vedette des œuvres d’artistes inuit, métis et des Premières Nations

OTTAWA – Aujourd’hui, Postes Canada a dévoilé quatre nouveaux timbres qui suscitent sensibilisation et réflexion sur l’histoire tragique des pensionnats autochtones et le besoin de guérison et de réconciliation. Ces timbres seront émis le 29 septembre, la veille de la Journée nationale de la vérité et de la réconciliation, et constituent le premier volet d’une série annuelle illustrant la vision d’artistes inuit, métis et des Premières Nations sur la vérité et la réconciliation.

Des années 1830 à 1990, plus de 150 000 enfants inuit, métis et de Premières Nations de partout au pays ont été arrachés des bras de leur famille pour être envoyés dans des pensionnats autochtones créés par le gouvernement fédéral et dirigés par le clergé. Des milliers d’entre eux n’en sont jamais revenus. Dans ces établissements aux conditions non sécuritaires et propices à la maladie, on leur interdisait de parler leur langue maternelle. En plus d’être dépouillés de leur culture et de leurs traditions spirituelles, ces enfants ont subi des sévices physiques, sexuels et émotionnels, dont les traumatismes se font encore sentir chez les survivants et leur descendance.

Cette émission de quatre timbres invite les membres de la population à réfléchir aux injustices et aux traumatismes vécus par des générations de Premières Nations, d’Inuit et de Métis, et à assumer leurs responsabilités en ce qui a trait à la réconciliation. Les timbres sont oblitérés à Brantford, en Ontario, là où était situé le Mohawk Institute, dont l’ouverture au début des années 1830 en a fait le premier pensionnat autochtone du Canada. Par ailleurs, les timbres comportent des mots dans les langues traditionnelles et les dialectes régionaux des artistes qui ont créé les illustrations.

Jackie Traverse, artiste des Premières Nations (Lake St. Martin, Manitoba) – Anishinaabe, ojibwée
« Cette illustration représente l’espoir du changement. On peut y voir un homme et une femme (les aînées), leurs enfants et leurs petits-enfants. Au centre, le quatre-temps, notre fleur nationale non officielle, avec ses racines qui plongent vers le passé. Elle représente le Canada. L’image nous rappelle que pour que nous puissions tous profiter de récoltes abondantes aujourd’hui et demain, nous devons partager le soleil, l’eau et la terre. »

Jackie Traverse, artiste multidisciplinaire, grandit dans un des quartiers les plus durs de Winnipeg. Sa jeunesse est empreinte de tragédies : sa mère meurt très jeune, et ses frères et sœurs sont enlevés durant la rafle des années 1960. L’artiste utilise le multimédia, la peinture acrylique et à l’huile, l’animation image par image et la sculpture pour créer des œuvres dont elle puise l’inspiration dans sa culture et sa réalité de femme autochtone vivant à Winnipeg.

Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona, artiste inuk – Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake, Nunavut)
« Je crois que chaque groupe au Canada a une responsabilité différente en ce qui a trait à la réconciliation. En tant que peuples autochtones, nous avons une responsabilité envers nous-mêmes et les gens de nos communautés : apprendre ou enseigner nos langues et nos cultures qui ont été attaquées il n’y a de cela qu’une génération. J’ai créé l’image d’une femme qui allume une kudlik [ou qulliq], une lampe de pierre traditionnelle inuite servant à se réchauffer et à s’éclairer, ici symbole de compassion. Cette femme vit selon sa culture comme elle l’a toujours fait, guérissant et prenant soin d’elle-même et des autres. »

Originaire de Baker Lake, au Nunavut, Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona est issue d’une famille d’artistes inuit renommés. L’art lui permet de faire briller son patrimoine inuit, de nouer des liens avec les autres en faisant rayonner sa culture et d’exprimer son identité autochtone. Elle aime moderniser un visuel traditionnellement inuit, et les vedettes de ses œuvres sont souvent des femmes fortes. Elle a fondé un atelier de céramique avec un petit groupe de personnes et enseigne l’art comme thérapie dans un centre de guérison pour les Inuit aux prises avec un problème de dépendance situé à Ottawa. L’an dernier, l’artiste a obtenu une résidence à l’Art Gallery of Guelph, en collaboration avec un conservateur inuit, et a produit une nouvelle création qui sera présentée aux côtés des œuvres de sa grand-mère et de son arrière-grand-mère.

Kim Gullion Stewart, artiste métisse – Athabasca, Alberta (elle vit à Pinantan Lake, en Colombie-Britannique)
« Les fleurs perlées rappellent la nécessité de vivre en symbiose avec la terre, les cours d’eau, les écosystèmes et les uns avec les autres. Sur ce motif, j’ai placé des fleurs perlées sur le tracé des montagnes Rocheuses, les lignes sinueuses qui représentent les rivières et les pointillés qui délimitent les territoires politiques. Bien que les cartes comme celle-ci constituent une archive bidimensionnelle de lieux et de processus historiques, elles sont incomplètes jusqu’à ce qu’elles intègrent des éléments importants pour les peuples indigènes du continent. »

Kim Gullion Stewart est née à Athabasca, en Alberta. Les racines de son père la relient à la patrie métisse de la rivière Rouge, au Manitoba. Elle crée des significations métaphoriques en reliant des procédés artistiques métis (tannage des peaux, perlage, courtepointe) à des procédés artistiques contemporains et graphiques. Sa démarche artistique la pousse à puiser dans les profondeurs de son identité métisse et à réapprendre des systèmes de connaissances métis qui ont été cachés, perdus ou adaptés aux fins de survie. « Les miens dormiront pendant 100 ans, et quand ils se réveilleront, ce seront les artistes qui leur rendront leur esprit. » Cette citation de Louis Riel (1844-1885) est une grande source d’inspiration pour Kim Gullion Stewart.

Blair Thomson, artiste et graphiste
« L’illustration présente des mains superposées à un visage humain. Ces mains représentent deux points de vue : celui des colons, qui masquent la réalité et leur honte, et celui des peuples autochtones, qui couvrent leur visage de tristesse, de douleur et de souvenirs. Des larmes coulent entre les doigts. L’arrière-plan rappelle les fenêtres des pensionnats à travers lesquelles les enfants regardaient en rêvant de retourner chez eux. Les yeux derrière les mains réitèrent que les colons ne doivent plus jamais détourner le regard. »

Blair Thomson est le fondateur et le directeur de création de Believe in, une agence de conception dont les ateliers se situent au Canada et au Royaume-Uni. La démarche artistique de Monsieur Thomson cherche à harmoniser fondements stratégiques, idées uniques et résultats magnifiques. Maintes fois primées, ses œuvres ont également été publiées dans de nombreuses publications de conception de renom partout sur la planète. Il est le collectionneur, l’archiviste et l’historien responsable de Canada Moderne, une archive du graphisme canadien moderne de 1960 à 1985.
Les timbres et les articles de collection sont en vente sur postescanada.ca et dans les comptoirs postaux partout au pays.


[press release from September 27, 2021]
Canada Post to issue new Truth and Reconciliation stamp in 2022
Annual stamp issue to help raise awareness and support spirit of healing

OTTAWA – In keeping with its commitment to the principles of truth and reconciliation, Canada Post is working with Indigenous experts to issue a Truth and Reconciliation stamp in 2022 – the first in what will be an annual series.

The stamp will be issued each year in connection with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a new federal day of commemoration on September 30 (held for the first time in 2021) to honour the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation also coincides with Orange Shirt Day, a national movement that began in 2013 to honour the more than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children who were sent to residential schools. The annual stamp issue will help raise awareness about Indigenous truth and reconciliation and support a spirit of healing.

“Canada Post has a long history of sharing important Canadian stories through its stamp program. As a national storyteller and a public institution in virtually every community across Canada, we are committed to supporting the principles of truth and reconciliation,” says Doug Ettinger, President and CEO of Canada Post.

“As a country, it is part of our collective duty to acknowledge and honour the experiences of Indigenous peoples and to move forward together, in a spirit of healing. We hope this annual stamp series can help facilitate that.”

Canada Post has launched several initiatives and will launch others to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and support the principles of truth and reconciliation:

  • On September 29 and 30, Canada Post employees are invited to wear orange shirts to work.
  • Beginning in 2022, the Canada Post Community Foundation will award an annual Signature Grant of $50,000 to a national organization that offers programming anchored in the principles of truth and reconciliation and that supports Indigenous children and youth across the country. In 2021, the Foundation awarded 17 grants, totalling approximately $270,000, to programs that support Indigenous youth.
  • Most of Canada Post’s operations, including all corporate post offices, will be closed September 30 to observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
  • From September 24 to 30, Canada Post’s head office in Ottawa is being illuminated with orange light to commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. [see photo above]
  • In November 2020, the Corporation launched its Indigenous and Northern Reconciliation Strategy. To read more about the strategy, click here.

[en Francais pour les médias d’information]
Postes Canada émettra un nouveau timbre consacré à la vérité et à la réconciliation en 2022
L’émission annuelle permettra de sensibiliser le public à la cause dans un esprit de guérison

OTTAWA – Suivant son engagement à l’égard des principes de vérité et de réconciliation, Postes Canada collabore avec des experts autochtones pour émettre un timbre consacré à la vérité et à la réconciliation en 2022, le premier d’une série annuelle.

Un timbre sera émis chaque année à l’occasion de la Journée nationale de la vérité et de la réconciliation, un nouveau jour férié fédéral de commémoration qui a lieu le 30 septembre (et tenu pour la première fois en 2021). Cette journée rend hommage aux enfants disparus et aux survivants des pensionnats autochtones, ainsi qu’à leurs familles et leurs communautés. Elle coïncide avec la Journée du chandail orange, un mouvement national qui a commencé en 2013 pour rendre hommage aux quelque 150 000 enfants inuit, métis et des Premières Nations qui ont été envoyés dans les pensionnats. Cette émission aidera à sensibiliser les gens à la vérité et à la réconciliation avec les Autochtones dans un esprit de guérison.

« Postes Canada fait connaître depuis longtemps des histoires canadiennes importantes grâce à son programme des timbres-poste. À titre de conteur national et d’institution publique présente dans pratiquement toutes les collectivités du Canada, la Société est déterminée à appuyer les principes de vérité et de réconciliation », souligne Doug Ettinger, président-directeur général de Postes Canada.

« En tant que pays, nous avons le devoir collectif de reconnaître les expériences, de rendre hommage au vécu des peuples autochtones et d’aller de l’avant ensemble, dans un esprit de guérison. Nous espérons que cette série de timbres annuelle nous aidera à y parvenir. »

Postes Canada a lancé plusieurs initiatives et en lancera d’autres pour souligner la Journée nationale de la vérité et de la réconciliation, et pour appuyer les principes de vérité et de réconciliation :

  • Les 29 et 30 septembre, le personnel de Postes Canada est invité à porter un chandail orange au travail.
  • À compter de 2022, la Fondation communautaire de Postes Canada accordera une subvention annuelle Signature de 50 000 $ à un organisme national qui offre des programmes basés sur les principes de vérité et de réconciliation, et qui vient en aide aux enfants et aux jeunes autochtones partout au pays. En 2021, la Fondation a accordé 17 subventions totalisant environ 270 000 $ à des programmes qui soutiennent les jeunes Autochtones.
  • Postes Canada suspendra la plupart de ses activités et tous les bureaux de poste de la Société seront fermés le 30 septembre afin de souligner la Journée nationale de la vérité et de la réconciliation.
  • Du 24 au 30 septembre, le siège social de Postes Canada à Ottawa est illuminé en orange.
  • En novembre 2020, la Société a lancé sa stratégie de réconciliation avec les communautés autochtones et du Nord. Apprenez-en davantage sur la stratégie.

Chicagopex Stamp Show Is Back

[press release]
Chicagopex Stamp Show Is Back!

CHICAGO, Sept. 26, 2021 – Chicagopex takes place Nov. 19-21, 2021, at the Westin Chicago Northwest, 400 Park Boulevard, Itasca, IL, 60143. The show runs 10am-6pm on Friday and Saturday. It runs 10am-4pm on Sunday. Admission and parking are free.

The show marks the 135th anniversary of the Chicago Philatelic Society and will feature almost 300 frames of exhibits, which may be viewed by the public. Many of them are from exhibitors from the convening societies: Germany Philatelic Society, the Lithuania Philatelic Society, Polonus Polish Philatelic Society, and the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors. AAPE is hosting its single frame team competition, while GPS is back in Chicago with many of its study groups offering talks and meetings too.

Chicagopex is also hosting its 55th annual literature competition, featuring entries in a variety of formats including print and digital.

The convening societies are offering special presentations and meetings open to the public. See the full Chicagopex schedule for details. On Friday night, there are dinners for the convening societies’ members and guests, and on Saturday, show-goers are invited to attend the show banquet. Both events require reservations in advance.

Speakers include:

  • APS Executive Director Scott English at 11am Friday hosting a town hall for the American Philatelic Society.
  • James Mazepa at noon Saturday speaking on “Postal Systems in Liberated Poland – 1944-1945.”
  • Jim Hill at 2pm Saturday speaking on “Around the World on the Graf Zeppelin.”

There will be multiple opportunities to get books signed (with books available for purchase) in the hotel lobby:

  • Each day 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. – “Walt Disney’s First Superstar: Mickey Mouse,” Vols. 1 and 2, by author Edward Bergen
  • Friday and Sunday 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. – “U.S. Zeppelin and Airship Mail Flights” by Cheryl Ganz and “Carol Gordon: Cachetmaker” by Susan B. Jones.
  • Saturday 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. – “The History of Airmail in Poland” by Jerzy W. Kupiec-Weglinski

Other groups with meetings and/or speakers include: the American Topical Association, the British North America Philatelic Society, Chicago Philatelic Society (CPS), the Collectors Club of Chicago, the Collectors Club [of New York], Germany Philatelic Society Chapter #5, and Illinois Postal History Society.

The show committee expects about 70 dealer booths, booths for USPS and UNPA, a youth booth and a book sale by the Collectors Club of Chicago.

All meetings and speeches are free and open to the public. When booking a room, ask for the Chicagopex special rate. The hotel phone number is 630-773-4000. For more information visit www.chicagopex.org.

About Chicago Philatelic Society (CPS):
Organized Oct. 8, 1886, as a continuation of the Chicago Stamp Collectors Union, which was organized in Dec. 1884, CPS is chapter no. 1 of the American Philatelic Society and one of two organizations with the longest uninterrupted service to philately in the United States.

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