1948, Costumes Tirol Pustertal Austria 1S

1948, Costumes Tirol Pustertal Austria 

1948, Costumes Tirol Pustertal  Austria 1S

Text: Republik Ofterreich 1S 1948

Condition: Ø = used

Title:   Costumes

Face value:     1 S

Country/area:            Austria Icon-information

Year:   1948

Set:     1948 Costumes 

Stamp number in set:           20

Basic colour:  Green

Usage:            Definitive

Perforation:  comb 14

Printing:  Photogravure

Type:   Stamp

Theme:           Costumes

Geographical themes:           Tirol    

Michel number:         912

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The new Definitives in 1948 show girls in provincial costumes.

This stamp is dedicated to the Second Republic. The traditional costume series issued as of 1948 was chosen as the characteristic issue. With 37 values it is the Second Republic's longest definitive series. Stamps of this series decorated mail items throughout the fifties and sixties until they were gradually phased out.

When it was decided in the middle of 1948 to introduce a new definitive set of stamps, it was necessary to select a topic which would be not only of general appeal but also representative of the whole of Austria. The final decision was to use an idea which had proved very popular in 1934-36, namely to use the traditional costumes of Austria as the theme. Professor Josef Seger (b.1908), a pupil of Alfred Cossmann, who had studied at the Graphical Teaching and Research Institute in Vienna and then at the Academy of Pictorial Art, was selected as the designer of this set. The Museum of Folk Art in Vienna did the original research for the costumes. It had long been believed that one of his girl students, whose likeness is most apparent on the 50g stamp, posed for Professor Seger's drawings; but it is now known that there was no model, the designs being a purely intellectual creation.

The designs were then engraved by Professor Hans Ranzoni d.J. and the stamps (except the 10S value which was recess printed in sheets of 50) were printed in photogravure at the State Printing Works in sheets of 100, perf 14.25:13.5. It was also decided to sell new stamps, from this set onwards, a few days before they were valid for postage in order to give collectors and dealers the opportunity of preparing first-day covers in time. Thus the first stamps of this set to appear, though valid for postage on lst June 1948, could be purchased on 26th May 1948. As a further encouragement for the collection of FDCs, on 1st June 1948 a special 'Ersttag' cachet was applied officially on all covers posted on the first day of validity. This design of cachet was to remain unaltered until 26th January 1973. During the long life of this issue numerous changes occurred apart from the issuing of extra values and changing of colours as required by the U.P.U. rules. The two main changes were the substitution of a 100-screen for the original 70-screen in the photogravure process, and the use of a thin white paper with white gum (from mid-1958) for some of the values instead of the original greyish paper with yellowish gum.