A Post Officer And A Gentleman

Very much a case of déjà vu, a recent set of six British postage stamps harks back to six of its classic stamps from a generation ago. It is the first time the Royal Mail has dedicated an entire issue to a designer of its commemorative stamps.

For over 50 years, Keith Gentleman has produced some of the Post Office’s most iconic designs. The now commonplace practice of using a small cameo of the queen’s head in one corner of the stamp was one of his most enduring contributions. However, he has had the privilege of seeing over one hundred of his designs turned into stamps. Some of them, such as the designs of Concorde or the series dedicated to British social reformers are instantly recognisable. The latter, along with the ones he created to commemorate the Battle of Hastings, are among his personal favourites.