Page 255 - Jarvis & Wright: Jamaica Display to RPSL

Jamaica: King George V Period

1919-29 Pictorials
Frames 25-26 King George V Pictorials
Design
After 60 years of rather conservative and monotonous stamp design,
The Governor of Jamaica, Sir Leslie Probyn, authorised the production of a pictorial definitive series.
All the designs were selected by Mr. Frank Cundall, secretary of the Institute of Jamaica,
but the Governor took a personal interest in the issue, influencing the artwork of the 5/- and 10/- denominations.

The chosen theme for the issue (with the exception of the 10/- value) was the history of the Island.

The Arawak, Columbus and 5/- designs were drawn by Mr. Cundall’s daughter and wife,
all others are from photographs or lithographs
(copies from the original negatives have been supplied courtesy of the National Library of Jamaica).

All the frames were drawn by his daughter, with help from a Miss Wood.

½d Vignette

The main building for the Jamaica Exposition of 1891.
The exhibition was opened on 27th January by the future King George V.

Technical Information

All the stamps shown here are line engraved except the ½d and 1d which are typographed.
All but the 6d Port Royal have been printed on paper watermarked both Multiple Crown CA and Multiple Script CA.
The perforation is 14 in a mixture of line and comb types.

The stamps were printed by De La Rue & Co using separate plates for the design and frame
(except the 1½d and 10/-, which were a single plate).

A number of imperforate printer’s sample proofs were produced circa 1922 in different colours to the issued stamps;
these were used by De La Rue for sales activities and were officially approved,
subject to them being produced on unwatermarked paper and not in the issued colours.

All stamps were overprinted “SPECIMEN” for distribution throughout the UPU (about 740 copies of each).
The Marcus Samuel types are noted.