Réunion - Bud's Big Blue

Réunion’s Arms, 1924

Bud's Big Blue

Bud's Observations

Excellent introductions to Réunion Island’s stamps can be found by clicking here and here, the first by Jim Jackson and the second by Sergio Sismondo. I won’t repeat what can be found there. Instead, this post discusses the artwork and heraldry found on Réunion’s stamps. 

From the early 20^th century onward, French colony stamps commonly include the artist’s and/or the engraver’s names. Sometimes the names are incorporated in the stamps design, sometimes they appear inscribed below the design. 

Scott #s 68 (black and ultra) and 71 (gray green and blue green)

The first such for Réunion were issued in a definitive series beginning in 1907 and continuing to 1928 with new values, colors and overprints being added. Two designs incorporate the names of Chauvet and Puyplat in the engraving. The first, a map of Réunion Island, includes longitude and latitude markers. In the second, a view of Saint Denis harbor is flanked by the city’s arms and motto – “praeter omnes angulus ridet” – part of a quotation from Horace, the whole of which translates “This corner of the earth smiles for me more than any other.”

The French painter and illustrator Jules Adolphe Chauvet (1828-1905) is considered the likely artist of the first two stamps, although they were issued after his death. These are the only stamps bearing his name. Chauvet’s other artwork is still sold at auctions; he excelled in architectural drawings and ribald erotica (of the 19^th century proclivity).

Scott #j6 (carmine on yellow)

The name Puyplat is found on stamps much more commonly than Chauvet. Jules-Jacques Puyplat (1843-1915), a wood-engraving specialist, is remembered for his magazine and newspaper illustrations as well as his many stamp designs – for Indochina, Cameroun, Mauretania, Guyana, etc. He also designed Réunion’s second postage due series. The Societe des Artistes Français inducted him into membership in 1893.

A third similar design in this series is used for the higher values and features a view of St. Pierre. It has no signatures. Its graceful engraving – the bird and waves – suggest that it may not be from Chauvet’s hand, but possibly from Puyplat’s.

Scott # 97 (red violet)

A second definitive pictorial series with new artwork was issued beginning in 1933 and continued to 1943, ending with “France Libre” overprints. While the first series portrays the Indian Ocean and shoreline, the second draws its inspiration from the island’s volcano-sculpted interior and a native son, Léon Dierx, a noted French poet born in St. Denis (1838). Two artists rendered the drawings: Robert Caulet (1906-1984) and C. Abadie (unknown dates). Both are also credited with the engravings.

A great deal is known about Robert Caulet – a painter and French Resistance fighter during World War II. He taught at a St. Denis high School in the early 1930s and his art was exhibited in the Léon Dierx Museum, the entrance of which he drew and engraved for Scott #s 153//166.

Scott # 156 (ultra)

Caulet also produced the view of the Demoiselles-Salazie waterfall which he likely visited while in Réunion. He also painted fine china (Sèvres), taught art classes, illustrated books about Africa, and drew an anti-Nazi comic strip.

Scott #s 129 (olive green), 130 (red orange) and 131 (ultra)

One Réunion’s many waterfalls

Little is known about the artist signed as C. Abadie who drew and engraved Salazie, mare aux poules d'eau et piton d'Auchain (aka in Scott’s catalog, Walterfoul Lake and Anchain Peak). He/she is also credited with the graphics for the third postage due series featuring Réunion’s arms. Perhaps Abadie is someone Caulet met while in Réunion. Clearly both are accomplished artists. Their philatelic work is limited to Réunion stamps.

Scott #144 (olive green)

Both Caulet’s and Abadie’s designs were printed by Institut de Gravure et d'Impression de Papiers-Valeurs, Paris, a well-known source of philatelic elegance.

Scott #s j24 (deep blue) and j25 (carmine)

Réunion’s arms speak of the island’s beauty and close connections with France – the mountains and exploding volcano, a 17^th century sailing ship (the St. Alexis), three fleurs de lis, and a swarm of bees. It is surrounded by vanilla branches (Vanilla planifolia – Orchidaceæ), of economic importance to the islanders, and carries the motto Florebo quocumque ferar (I will flourish wherever I am carried).

Réunion became an integral part of France in 1946 and its citizens, being fully and properly French, have used the stamps of France since 1975 without surcharges or overprints.

Census: 135 in BB spaces, four tip-ins, 71 on supplement pages.

Links for first line above.

1 - https://bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.com/2015/04/ClassicStampsofReunion.html

2 - https://www.linns.com/news/world-stamps-postal-history/la-reunion-brief-history-of-its-postage-stamps.html

Jim's Observations

Reunion (more properly Réunion) is presently an overseas department of France, but has been in the French realm since 1642. The island, located 120 miles east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, was an important stopover on the East Indies trade route, but less so after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.

Interestingly, there were no indigenous people on the island during historical times, so the population was a melting pot of immigrant African, European, Malagasy, Indian, and Chinese groups.

Reunion Blog Post & BB Checklist

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Comments appreciated!