Archive Nº 003
Two colours that introduced an island to the world
From stamp to puzzle
In 1847, two small stamps began circulating on Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean: the One Penny in orange-red and the Two Pence in blue. Produced to pay for sending correspondence, they became some of the most celebrated pieces in philatelic history. Mauritius, then a British colony, was the first British colony to issue its own postage stamps.
The task fell to engraver Joseph Osmond Barnard, who worked in Port Louis. On a small copper plate, he engraved the two designs featuring Queen Victoria in profile. Only 500 examples of each denomination were printed. This figure refers to the original production; far fewer examples have survived.
The words that gave rise to a legend
Along the side of the stamps appears the inscription POST OFFICE. Later issues bore the words POST PAID, indicating that the postage had been paid.
This difference inspired a story repeated for generations: Barnard had supposedly become distracted and engraved the wrong words. It is an appealing tale, but it should not be presented as a proven fact. The expression Post Office was already used on Mauritian postal handstamps, offering a plausible explanation for the engraver’s choice.
A ball and traces of an era
Another story connects the stamps with invitations to the fancy dress ball held in September 1847 by Lady Elizabeth Gomm, the governor’s wife.
Some envelopes traditionally associated with the event have survived. However, researcher Helen Morgan noted that no invitations were found inside them. The connection with the ball is part of philatelic tradition, but the idea that the stamps were produced specifically for that party remains unsupported by documentary evidence.
Their use also left traces in commercial correspondence. The celebrated Bordeaux Cover, bearing one stamp of each denomination, was found in 1902 by a schoolboy searching for rarities among his family’s old business letters. Correspondence preserved for decades thus revealed one of philately’s great treasures.
The history you assemble
As you assemble this mini puzzle, observe Victoria’s portrait, the lettering and the engraved lines. The composition invites you to look closely at an image that began on a small scale, intended to accompany a letter, and went on to inspire the curiosity of generations.
Each piece brings you closer to this history: the work of an engraver in Port Louis, letters that have survived through time, and the questions that continue to make these stamps fascinating.
Special thanks
We warmly thank Seija-Riitta Laakso, editor of Suomen Postimerkkilehti, for the generosity with which she has welcomed this project and for offering to review the Finnish texts. Her attention to words and dedication to philately are a valued contribution to sharing these stories with our readers.
Historical sources
Smithsonian National Postal Museum — Special Rarities
Universal Postal Union — The man the myth the stamps, Union Postale 4 2012, pages 26–27
Mauritius Post — Postal Museum
Helen Morgan — Researching the Post Office Mauritius