Mrs. John Douglas, Waddesdon Manor - Aylesbury, England - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

The year 1974 marked the 100th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union which established uniform rates and service for international mail. In celebration of this centennial, many member nations issued special postage stamps. The United States issued a set of eight stamps featuring artwork from around the world. These paintings etc. had rather obscure subjects but shared a common characteristic: letter writing and reading. Some included the quote, “Letters mingle souls” by English poet John Donne.

One of the paintings chosen for the set was a portrait of Frances Browne (a.k.a Mrs. John Douglas) by renowned British painter Thomas Gainsborough. The subject of this portrait was not particularly well known even in 1783-84 when she sat for Gainsborough. But apparently it was one of his favorites as he sought to include it in his own private exhibition in 1784. And Frances Browne certainly had nothing to do with the U.P.U., but she is reading a letter.

Waddesdon Manor is a French Renaissance-style château, built in 1874 by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. It’s located about 50 miles outside of London and although not very British in its design, it does contain a robust collection of eighteenth-century British portraits by Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds including the lovely Mrs. John Douglas.

Stamp Issuing Country: United States Date of Issue: 6-Jun-1974 Denomination: 10c Color: multicolored Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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