Stamps Mark Royal Society’s 350th Anniversary

Royal Mail has issued a radical split-stamp design to celebrate the 350th anniversary of The Royal Society, the world’s oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. The ten 1st Class stamps, which were first issued on 25 February, feature ten significant Royal Society figures whose portraits are paired with dramatic and colourful imagery representing their achievements.

The ‘brainstorming’ design was the idea of Hat-trick Design, responsible for the interlocking ‘jigsaw’ approach used for 2009’s Darwin stamps. But with more than 1,400 Fellows and Foreign Members to choose from, how were ten significant scientific figures to be selected?

Fittingly, it was The Royal Society itself which suggested the solution: a case of basic division. It was agreed to split the 350-year history into ten 35-year ‘blocks’ in which it could be demonstrated how, through the work of its Fellows, The Royal Society has had a major impact on the World.

Royal Mail consulted with experts from the Society to determine the ten Fellows, and due to the global nature of the organisation, non UK citizens were included, such as one of the United States’ Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin, and the New Zealand-born physicist Ernest Rutherford.

Julietta Edgar, Head of Special Stamps, Royal Mail said: “It has traditionally been a challenge for designers to seek innovative ways to feature an individual and ‘tell their story’ at the same time. “The contrast of black and white portraits and eye-catching use of scientific imagery has resulted in a spectacular and thoughtprovoking design.”