Analyzing the Art of British Colonial Stamps

Today, I want to talk about a type of art that is often overlooked: postal stamps. It’s so common to have art on stamps that few people think about why it’s there. However, if you look at it from a utilitarian point of view, there’s no real reason to have art on stamps. A sticker that says “this stamp is worth fifty cents” or something similar would be equally effective. So, why is there art on stamps?

There are two answers. One answer is that it increases sales. People are more interested in buying stamps that are nice to look at, and limited edition releases inspire people to collect stamps as a hobby. Stamps generate income for the postal service; so it’s important to provide a product that people want to buy. The second answer is that stamps can convey a message. In the modern age, it’s so rare to see stamps that it’s easy to forget that, in the past, they were commonplace, everyday items for nearly everyone in the Western world. That means that they were incredibly effective propaganda and rhetorical tools.

Today, I want to talk about British colonial stamps as works of art. I found a selection of British stamps from the 20th century from (or representing) British colonies, which you can see below. One thing to note is that the sovereign's face is always present on these stamps. The UK began using the monarch’s face on stamps during the reign of Queen Victoria. More than any other monarch, Victoria represents the British empire. Under Victoria, the monarch became the symbolic ruler of the British colonies (famously, she was known as the Empress of India), a rhetorical strategy that was instrumental in keeping the idea of the empire afloat.

We see this idea carried over into the 20th century, with George VI and Elizabeth II pictured on stamps with symbols of British colonies. For example, on a stamp for Kenya and Uganda, Elizabeth II is pictured with Mount Kilimanjaro, an important symbol of the colony and one of the most recognizable symbols of Africa in general. The combination of these two images sends an important message: the land belongs to the Queen. Another stamp shows the Queen with Owen Falls Dam, effectively claiming credit for a public works project that was undoubtedly built using the labor of the colonized people. Art like this contributes to the myth of the white savior, and props up problematic ideas about benevolent colonial rule. This is a message of domination, and, by placing it on a stamp, the British government ensured that as many people as possible would see it. 

 

These colonial stamps forced colonized people to internalize the idea that colonial rule was legitimate and that they themselves were inferior. If you’re an American, imagine being forced to see an image of the Queen of England with a quintessential symbol of America — like the Statue of Liberty or Mount Rushmore — every day. What effect would that have on you? What would that do to you psychologically? How would it change your feelings about the US? After going through that thought experiment, you should have some idea of the power of the visual rhetoric of stamps.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.