Irish Philatelic Art

The Art of Irish Stamps, Envelopes & Postcards:

For me, the lure of collecting stamps, envelopes and postcards has always been the art and design first, the history second and the chronology third. I loved the essentials of the old style collector – an antique box filled with items of family history, a Victorian photo album, an Edwardian postcard album and a classic vintage printed stamp album – all scattered about an old writing bureau and bookcase. An old-fashioned man cave!

The thing that joins them all is art, design and craftsmanship and nothing epitomises a successful hobby more than the men (and women) that design accessories, embellish every day objects and otherwise enrich the lives of collectors.

Its a complicated subject and difficult to organise into divisions that are sensible to all. Some artists ‘got a start’ in their professional life by designing postcards and, now that they are famous, their early postcard works are highly sought after. Others did it the other way around and, after they became famous, collectors found their ‘doodles’ on envelopes and postcards they had sent to family, friends and colleagues.

For example, the rather plain-looking postcard below is

  • A boring panoramic view of rooftops and church spires that looks like anywhere in Europe (so, its not valuable as a postcard)
  • The back of the card has a ‘doodle’ in blue ink (not an attractive one, I might add) which makes it even less attractive to the average postcard collector.
  • The sender neglected to add a stamp, so the addressee had to pay ‘double’ the postage upon receipt of the card – no stamp, means stamp collectors are not interested in it either!
  • The postage due markings are common, so the card is not particularly valuable to the philatelist either.
    • In short, its looks destined to be thrown into a dealer’s ‘bargain’ box!
    • So, why did a collector pay £143,000 for it ???
    • Answer below…
Someone paid £143,000 for this drawing by Picasso on a postcard.

Someone paid £143,000 for this drawing by Picasso on a postcard.

This page is dedicated to Irish envelope art, self-illustrated postcards and philatelic cover design. Some of the artists were professional; some were amateurs; all were enthusiasts of Irish art, culture, heritage and design. This page will expand over time – as and when I find items to add.

Irish Envelope Art:

Irish Postcard Art & Design:

Irish Postal Stationery Design:

Irish Cachet Art & Design:

Irish Philatelic Artists & Designers:

  • Aitkinson, George
  • Brandt, Muriel
  • Broscas, H.
  • Brown, Victor
  • Carrick, T.
  • Downey, L.
  • Hogan, John
  • King, Richard Joseph
  • Lawrenson, Edward Louis
  • O’Reilly, J.J.
  • O’Ryan, Fergus
  • O’Sullivan, Seán
  • Shee, Sir Martin Archer
  • Uhleman, Karl
  • Vacek, W.
  • Whelan, Leo
  • Williams, Miss L.

Further Reading:

  • Bodily, Ritchie, Jarvis C. & Hahn C., “British pictorial envelopes of the 19th Century” Collectors Club Of Chicago (1984)

Quirky Philatelic Art from around the Web: