Victorian Ink 1893 Columbian Gallery

Frederick's sketches are more of a wink at the stamps' dignified illustrations than an ode to them. Under the majestic "Columbus Flag Ship" stamp Frederick drew a child floating a toy sailboat in a bowl.

For the stately "Columbus Soliciting Aid of Isabella" stamp, he wrote "Columbus as a Solicitor" and drew a man (a lawyer like himself?) next to a beautiful woman with her back turned to him.

The stamps themselves were peeled away decades ago, but I found pictures of them online for comparison. See the gallery below...

he Columbian Issue, 1893

Many of Frederick's sketches revolve around a particular series of stamps. My favorite is the 1893 Columbian Issue. The set was released to coincide with the Columbian Exposition of 1893 and celebrated the 400 year anniversary of Columbus' 1492 landing. They are considered the first commemorative stamps issued by the United States.

What I love about the Columbus drawings is that Frederick put his own 1890's spin on them...