Although a field that is often overlooked by bibliophiles and historians of printing and typography, several of the most important contributors to twentieth century book and letter arts have made significant contributions to the design of the seemingly modest postage stamp. All of the celebrated designers listed to the left have considered the specific concerns of philatelic design. Eric Gill, although only responsible for one design marking the reign of George VI, had (as one might expect) exacting and pointed opinions about stamp design, and carried out a lengthy public debate on the matter in the pages of the Times. Jan van Krimpen and his Enschedé colleague S.L. Hartz, designed hundreds of stamps for the Netherlands and her colonies. These, and the hundreds of examples by the above designers, are an unexplored resource of tremendous lettering and calligraphy which also provide exceptional insights into how these designers worked and solved problems.

This collection was started in 1999 after I came across the stamps of Jan Van Krimpen in A Record in Honor of His Sixtieth Birthday. There are well over 600 stamps in the collection, and I’m pretty sure I’ve identified every stamp by anyone who has ever designed a typeface.

Learn more on Michael Russem’s website.