[Four stamps designed by T. E. Lawrence for the Arab Revolt, with a signed handwritten note in the hand of King George V of England].
Published by No place, [1916 CE =] 1334 H.
- Signed
- Softcover
- Used
Seller: Antiquariat INLIBRIS Gilhofer Nfg. GmbH, Vienna, A, AustriaAntiquariat INLIBRIS Gilhofer Nfg. GmbH
AbeBooks seller since November 22, 2000
Condition: Used
£ 12,939.50
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Folio (215 x 275 mm). 1 p. With the letterhead of Mohamed El-Chafai Bomboatman, a stamp dealer in Port Said. Four stamps pasted down, and handwritten signed note. An extraordinary document presenting examples of four stamps designed by T. E. Lawrence for the Arab Revolt, sent directly to His Majesty King George V, who has noted in his own hand: "These stamps are the new issue since the Sherif of Mecca has been on our side", signed simply "Geo". Reportedly, George V (an avid stamp collector) received around 400 Hijaz stamps. - What Lawrence and George V would have both understood was that postage stamps were a useful political tool. As Oriental Secretary at the Arab Bureau, Sir Ronald Storrs (1881-1955), wrote in his memoirs: "Shortly after the Arab Revolution we found that its success was being denied or blanketed by Enemy Press (which was of course quoted by neutrals), and we decided that the best proof that it had taken place would be provided by an issue of Hajaz postage stamps, which would carry the Arab propaganda" (quoted in Beech). Storrs also described how he "wandered with Lawrence round the Arab Museum in Cairo collecting suitable motifs in order that the design in wording, spirit and ornament, might be as far as possible representative and reminiscent of a purely Arab source of inspiration. Pictures and views were avoided, for these never formed part of Arab decoration, and are foreign to its art: so also was European lettering" (Beech). - T. E. Lawrence himself mentioned the stamps in a letter to his brothers in July 1916, excited by the prospect of design and paying special attention to a scheme to use flavoured gum on the back, which involved strawberry essence on the red stamps and pineapple juice on the green stamps. Both red and green are in fact represented here, though with their flavour untested. - The final designs were in fact the work of two men, neither of them Lawrence himself. First, Agumi Effendi Ali, who designed the ¼ piastre stamp (seen in green) and the ½ piastre stamp (seen in red), which David Beech states were inspired by the carved panels on the principal door of the al-Salih Talayi Mosque in Cairo and by the last page of a Holy Qur'an in the 14th century Mosque of Sultan Barquq, respectively. Second, Mustafa Effendi Ghozlan, who designed the 1 piastre stamp (seen in blue), inspired by "an ancient prayer niche in the Mosque of al-Amri at Qus in Upper Egypt" (Beech). This particular collection also includes an orange stamp, interestingly, noted as worth 1/10 piastre. - "Perhaps without this philatelic connection Lawrence might never have become 'Lawrence of Arabia'. For it was on this, his first visit to the Hijaz, that he met one of the sons of King Husayn of Hijaz, Emir Faysal (1885-1933) who was to become successively Commander of the Northern Army in the Arab Revolt 1916-1918, King of Syria from 1918 until 1920 when he was deposed by the French, and finally King of Iraq 1921-1933" (Beech). - A small closed tear, but a fine survival. - David R. Beech, "Hejaz: The First Postage Stamps of 1916 and T E Lawrence", in: The London Philatelist 114 (205), 323-327. …
Seller Inventory # 61578
Bibliographic details
- Title
- [Four stamps designed by T. E. Lawrence for the Arab Revolt, with a signed handwritten note in the hand of King George V of England].
- Author
- [Lawrence, T. E., British explorer, intelligence officer, and writer (1888-1935)].
- Publisher
- No place, [1916 CE =] 1334 H.
- Signed
- Signed by Author(s)
- Binding
- Soft cover
- Seller catalogs
- Middle East, incl. Arabian Gulf: History, Travels, Falconry and Horses
Shipping rates from Austria to U.S.A.
| Item | 2 to 5 business days | 1 to 3 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 25.13 | £ 33.50 |
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We have been dealing in valuable books, manuscripts, and autographs since 1883. As members of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), the Verband der Antiquare Österreichs (Austrian association of antiquarian booksellers), as well as the Verband deutscher Antiquare e.V. (German association of antiquarian booksellers), we are bound by these organizations' code of ethics. A large proportion of our customers is made up of institutions, including renowned international universities and major state libraries. We keep contact with our private customers at international book fairs and through our online catalogues. You are welcome to visit us on our business premises from Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM. We are happy to take buying orders for the important book auctions in Germany and Austria, which we attend regularly. We dedicate special attention to the estates and archives of important personalities of the arts and sciences in European and world history. Through specially prepared archive catalogues we have been able to sell the archives of Viktor Léon (librettist, 1859-1940), Leo Fall (operetta composer, 1873-1925), Lotte Lehmann (singer, 1888-1976), Otto Tressler (actor, 1871-1865) and Max Reinhardt (director, 1873-1743), as well as the last privately owned important original manuscripts by Ludwig Wittgenstein (philosopher, 1889-1951). Along the lines of this specialization our buying policy concentrates especially on these fields.…
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Alte Drucke, Cinquencentine, Autographs, Incunabula, Estates and archives of important personalities, Early science, History, Early printing, ManuscriptsAssociation member
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Inlibris, Handelsgesellschaft für antiquarische Bücher und Drucke GmbH
Rathausstrasse 19/27
Wien, Austria 1010
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