Stamps

Victor Hugo stamp designs 1997 // Mark was commissioned to illustrate two postage stamp designs for the Guernsey Philatelic Bureau based on a book written by Victor Hugo who was a political refugee in 1855, on the island of Guernsey. Hugo finished his great historical novel Les Miserables, while living there and was fascinated by the local legends and stories. He heard fishermen telling dramatic stories about marine monsters and visited a cave that according to legend, was frequented by a giant octopus. This gave him the germ of an idea for a novel which would eventually become Les Travailleurs de la Mer (The Toilers of the Sea), published in 1866.

Victor Hugo stamp designs 1997 // The mythical King of the Auxcriniers creature, based on Hugo’s own drawing, looks out to sea near his house. This was used for the collector’s presentation package for the stamps.

Victor Hugo stamp designs 1997 // Despite the book’s hero Gilliatt’s heroism in defeating the monster, he fails to win the hand of Deruchette, daughter of the ship owner. She marries a clergyman and as they set sail for England, Gilliatt watches from a rock out at sea. The ship finally disappears over the horizon, but Gilliatt ignores the rising tide and is drowned.

Maritime Definitives 1998 // A ‘definitive’ series are postage stamps in a range of denominations, sufficient to cover most or all postal rates. The series featured all types of boats, from a dinghy to ferry boats, cruisers to ocean-going yachts.