Sparkling tiara's on Curaçao stamps

Last but not least in this series of studying Wilhelmina's tiara's, we will cross the Atlantic to the Dutch Caribbean. Although all stamps during Wilhelmina's reign carry the name 'Curaçao', they were used on the other Dutch Antilles as well (Aruba and Bonaire and St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba). We will see that most designs match the Dutch Indies stamps, starting with the Veth 1903 series. By 1916 the new series by Seegers and Harting was introduced:

NVPH 64 - 1915 - Queen Wilhelmina 22 1/2c

NVPH 68 - 1916 - Queen Wilhelmina 50c

I always felt these designs suited the Dutch possessions in the Caribbean much better than the Dutch Indies territories. This 'feeling' might result from the fact that the Seegers' design only displays an empty horizon and a lonely ship. When thinking of the Dutch Indies I always imagine mighty volcano's and inaccessible mountain ranges which are draped in dense tropical forests. The Dutch Antilles on the other hand remind me of small windswept islands exposed to hurricanes, the sea and whatever more. The Seegers' 'lonely ship' design nears this feeling the closest, but Harting's design with its plain palm trees does invoke this same 'barren' atmosphere. Only when you try very hard, you will uncover the mystic mountain ranges of the Indies:

Detail of NVPH 68 with focus on the mountain ranges

When we continue we will see Cheffer's Jubilee design of 1923 again, which I decided not to review here again - see this post for his design.. Unlike the Dutch Indies however, the colony of Curaçao decided to grant these stamps a second life as definitive series by slightly altering the frame. It appeared between 1928 and 1930:

NVPH 89 - 1930 - Queen Wilhelmina 6c

I don't know if this design does the trick: I find myself somewhat puzzled by the three ships. I think that Mr Seegers tried reworking the frame, but he pushed the design too far by engraving three seemingly random ships below the queen in my modest opinion. I think it would have better suited the stamp to have only one ship displayed or a combination between the outline of an island and a single ship -  or even better: no display of ships at all. 

NVPH 126 - 1936 - Queen Wilhelmina 6c

Next comes a stamp which was only used on the Dutch Antilles and in Suriname, since the Dutch Indies had their own iconic square Kreisler stamps. Of course I do not want to suggest that this stamp is inferior to Kreisler's design, but I have to admit it is a bit dull ... On the other hand the designer - Mr Mees -  chose to depict Wilhelmina with a veil. This really makes her a bit magical and quite exotic. A remarkable choice and therefore the design will get my stamp of approval nevertheless. Wilhelmina seems to wear three strands of pearls on a plain tiara. I seriously doubt if Wilhelmina ever possessed a jewel of this kind.

NVPH 138 - 1938 - Queen Wilhelmina 1 1/2c

We will end with the ruby jubilee stamps which were a shared issue between the Netherlands, Suriname, Curaçao and the Dutch Indies. Mr Koch made a fine drawing of Queen Wilhelmina with the massive Wedding Gift Tiara which was so quickly dismantled after Juliana became our queen in 1948. A very stylized stamp.

Sparkling tiara's on Dutch Indies stamps

In my previous post I wrote about the various tiara's worn by Queen Wilhelmina which appear on Dutch stamps. Now time has come to do the same for Dutch colonial stamps (Curaçao and the Dutch Indies). While some colonial series share resemblances with Dutch stamps and are based on the same photographs, various series belong solely to the colonies. They really give you a more exotic impression when compared to the quite frugal Dutch designs. We will commence with the Dutch Indies.

Veth 1903

The first Dutch Indian series of Wilhelmina was designed by Jan Veth and introduced in 1903. Veth was also responsible for the definitive 1924-1930 series which was used in the Netherlands. His 1903 Indies design was even more attractive than his Dutch series in my opinion. Have a look at this 10c overprint variety:

NVPH 88 - 1908 - Queen Wilhelmina 10c 'Buiten Bezit' overprint

Even with the heavy postmark and obtrusive overprint the stamp still possesses a simple grace. The overprint 'Buiten Bezit' indicates that this stamp was meant for post offices in the Dutch Indies which were not located on the isle of Java. Since this island was the first real colonial property of the Netherlands, officials used the term 'Buiten Bezit' (~ outer possessions) for the numerous other islands, especially Sumatra, Celebes and Borneo.  

Queen Wilhelmina 1897 photograph

I'm convinced Mr Veth used the photograph above for his design, the same photograph which was used for the Dutch 1899 Mouchon 'Fur Collar' stamps. Wilhelmina wore her Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara on that occasion but I have to admit Veth didn't succeed in engraving this tiara. He has turned it into a rather clumsy diadem on his stamps. 

NVPH D26 - 1911 - Queen Wilhelmina 1g 'Dienst.' overprint

The stamp above belongs to the same series, but is larger in size (together with the 2 1/2g) and is embellished with two Olympic gods (Hermes and Ceres) and two ships in its frame. A very handsome design, although this particular one is gravely ruined by the 'Dienst' overprint. 'Dienst' stamps are officials.

Seegers and Harting 1913

NVPH 120 - 1914 - Wilhelmina 20c

In the early 1910s H. Seegers designed a new series of stamps, to be used in the Dutch Indies, Curacao and Suriname. A plain engraving showing Wilhelmina en profil and a lonely ship was used for the lower values up to 50c. From 50c onwards a more elaborate and a larger stamp was used, designed by D. Harting (see below). I daresay both designers used the 1897 photograph again (15 years after it was made...) and Harting obviously did a better job. Wilhelmina's ear on Mr Seegers' stamp is simply too grotesque.  

NVPH 132 - 1913 - Queen Wilhelmina 1g

What I do like when looking at Harting's stamp is the very exotic though elegant framework. Much attention has been given to design the denomination and country designation, which makes me think of this stamp as a particularly charming one.     

Jubilee 1923

NVPH 162 - 1923 - Queen Wilhelmina 20c

In 1923 Wilhelmina had reigned for 25 years: a jubilee which the P.T.T. did not miss. In the Netherlands and the colonies series of stamps were issued which commemorated her achievement. The colonial stamps differed a great deal from the Dutch series, which was designed in art deco style. The stamp above though can be described as very conservative and '19th centurish', but was apparently deemed perfectly apt for the Dutch colonies associated with all their opulence and richness. We see a heavily illuminated frame surrounding Wilhelmina who wears a grand diadem. You could almost imagine that this diadem should be called the 'pearl of the Indies' when taking its gigantic proportions into consideration. Not frugal at all and very un-Dutch. On top of this she wears an eye-catching necklace. 

1923 photograph by H. Deutmann

In the archives I found the photo on which the series was based. Cheffer made the excellent engraving, whilst Seegers resorted to the framework. He probably hadn't forgot his clumsy ear (nor had the P.T.T.), but he made it up by lovely adorning this series. Wilhelmina wears the so-called Wedding Gift Tiara. Because of its gigantic proportions her daughter - queen Juliana - had dismantled the parure when she became queen. Maybe she thought it a too opulent display for the Netherlands, especially after we lost the Indies in 1949.  

Kreisler 1934

NVPH 196 - 1934 - Queen Wilhelmina 12 1/2c

To complete the Indies diadem tour, we cannot exclude Kreisler's magnificent 1934 Wilhelmina series. Why magnificent? Well, he dared to present the P.T.T. with a square stamp design. That was a first and a gamble. Moreover, his design consists out of a very humble but at the same time proud depiction of the queen within a neat though elegant framework. This and the combination of native art with two important Dutch elements (shipping & infrastructure) makes the stamp truly iconic. Where the 1923 jubilee series overwhelms you a bit too heavily, this stamp does not make any presumptions. That's quite an achievement, since Wilhelmina is depicted with her Wedding Gift Tiara again. Kreisler didn't make this diadem look preposterous though (a feeling which I got with the jubilee series), since the diadem softly sinks away in her hair. Very refined.