History of the Czechoslovak postage stamp
The first Czechoslovak postage stamp was issued 105 years ago, on 18 December 1918.
There is probably no other branch of graphic art that depicts the entire history of the Czechoslovak state from the moment it became independent in the autumn of 1918 until its dissolution into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic on 1 January 1993 in such a continuous and coherent manner.
The first Czechoslovak postage stamp with the majestic panorama of Hradčany, the seat of the Head of State, created by the Czech artist Alfons Mucha, was a striking symbol of the restoration of state sovereignty.
Material prepared by: Boris Kogut.
Stamps of the pre-Munich Republic include the «Liberated Republic» stamp designed by Vratislav Hugo Brunner, which symbolised the aspirations of the Czechoslovak masses for freedom and equality.
The stamp depicting a dove, by graphic artist Jaroslav Benda, best represented its postal purpose. Both were issued in 1920. The next major Czech artist to work on postage stamp subjects from 1938 was Max Švabinský, who created both symbolic compositions and reproductions of portrait workshops. Švabinský’s portraits of Jan Amos Komenský, Josef Kajetán Tyl, Svatopluk Čech, Julius Fučík, Karel Čapek and others became a spiritual treasure of the entire Czechoslovak nation through stamps.
The graphic artist and engraver Heinz, an outstanding master, left his creative mark in this field, his artistic flair manifested in a number of truly valuable stamps. These include the portrait of the famous Czech physiologist Jan Evangelista Purkyně, based on a relief by the sculptor Otakar Španiel, the «To Children» stamps based on a painting by the famous Czech artist Josef Mánes from the «January» cycle created for the tower clock of the Old Town Hall in Prague, and a stamp depicting the subject of the sculpture «Lullaby Song» by Stanislav Sucharda.
It should be noted that the portrait of the first Czechoslovak president, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, was a frequent motif on stamps during his lifetime.
They were usually issued on the occasion of the president’s birthday or the state’s anniversary. This led to the tradition of issuing stamps with the president’s portrait, which is still alive in the Czech Republic today.
The portraits of all Czechoslovak presidents except Emil Hácha have appeared on stamps.
According to various sources, this is due to the fact that Emil Hácha was elected president in 1938, i.e. during the Second Republic, and there was no time to issue stamps at that time due to many problems; then came the period of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (from 16 March 1939 to 8 May 1945), when the printing of Czechoslovak stamps was suspended.
It is therefore understandable that the stamp with the portrait of the third president of Czechoslovakia was never issued. From May 1945 onwards, Czechoslovak stamps were issued again, and the period up to 1993 is considered one of the most important in the history of the postal industry - mainly due to the number of issues, the variety of subjects and the beauty of the Czechoslovak stamps, which have become a sought-after collector’s item worldwide. The Czech artist and graphic designer Karel Svolinský created 210 designs for Czechoslovak stamps, 83 of which were issued.
The artistic concept of Svolinský’s designs is in the spirit of Gothic art, which can be seen in the subjects of the stamps depicting the founder of Charles IV University and the university seal. Svolinský has a number of remarkable drawings for stamps, including portraits of Alexandr Sergejevič Puškin, Vladimir Majakovskij, Božena Němcová, Bedřich Smetana, Ludwig van Beethoven, Antonín Dvořák, Leoš Janáček, Josef Mánes, Jan Hus and others.
The last Czechoslovak stamp was issued on 18 December 1992 on the occasion of the Czechoslovak Stamp Day. In total, more than 3,000 Czechoslovak stamps have been issued.
