Dorothy Wilding
Dorothy Wilding (1893 – 1976) was an English photographer from Gloucester. She started photographing the Royal Family in 1928 and would go on to produce the first image of Queen Elizabeth II for stamps.
The final design chosen featured the Queen in a three-quarter pose wearing a diamond diadem. This image would adorn definitives stamps until 1967 when it was replaced by the “Machin” series.
Six designers were commissioned to submit essays for the stamp designs, and during the months leading up to the Queen’s Coronation, more than seventy different designs were submitted.
Eventually the many variations were whittled down to just five designs, which would ultimately be used across eighteen denominations. The designers were:
Mary Adshead (8d magenta, 9d bronze-green, 10d blue, 11d plum)
Michael Farrar-Bell (2½d red, 3d lilac, 4d blue, 4½d)
Edmund Dulac (1/-,1s3d green, 1s6d indigo)
Enid Marx (½d orange, 1d blue, 1½d green, 2d brown)
George Knipe (5d brown, 6d purple, 7d green)
The Portrait by Dorothy Wilding was also used on the High value Castles, which have their own Blog entry, as well as the issues overprinted for overseas use and the early Regional issues.
All the issues were printed in Photogravure by Harrison & Sons
The Wildings Issue can be divided into Eight issues during their Time.
Use of the SG Stanley Gibbons Catalogue is pretty much a MUST for Collecting and understanding these issues.
The Basic Breakdown of issues is below.
Three different Watermarks were used in the production of Wilding’s.
Tudor Crown 1952-54
St Edward’s Crown 1955-58
Multiple Crowns 1958-1965
Tudor Crown, St Edward’s Crown, Multiple Crowns
The Issues also had variants in production and postal improvements such as Phosphor tagging and graphite lines.
In addition they were variously produced in booklets and coil formats for some values, resulting in inverted or sideways watermarks.
The booklet panes or coils are not described in this simplified overview, other than to note the presence of Watermark variations, side or inverted.
1) 1952-54 Watermark Tudor Crown 17 values. SG 515-531 (15 December 1952)
2) 1955-58 Watermark St Edward’s Crown 18 values. SG 540-556 (6 September 1955)
3) 1957 Watermark St Edward’s Crown Graphite lined 6 values. SG561-566 (19 November 1957)
4) 1958-64 Watermark Multiple Crowns. 17 values SG 570-586 (29 October 1958)
5) 1958-61 Watermark Multiple Crowns Graphite lined 8 values. SG587-594 (24 November 1958)
6) 1959 Watermark St Edward’s Crown Phosphor Graphite lined 3 values. SG599-601 (18 November 1959)
7) 1959 Watermark Multiple Crowns Phosphor Graphite lined 5 values. SG605-609 (18 November 1959)
8) 1960-67 Watermark Multiple Crowns Phosphor 17 values. SG 610-618a (22 June 1960)
1) 1952-54 Watermark Tudor Crown 17 values. SG 515-531
Watermark Sideways Tudor Crown SG. 517a-519a
Watermark Inverted Tudor Crown SG. 515wi-519bwi
Types of 2½d TyI break in diadem of Crown, TyII retouched diadem of Crown
2) 1955-58 Watermark St Edward’s Crown 18 values. SG 540-556
Watermark sideways St Edward’s Crown SG. 542a-545b
Watermark inverted St Edward’s Crown. SG. 540wi-545wi
3) 1957 Watermark St Edward’s Crown Graphite lined 6 values. SG561-566
4) 1958-64 Watermark Multiple Crowns. 17 values SG 570-586
Watermark Sideways Multiple Crown. SG. 570a-576ab
Watermark Inverted Multiple Crowns SG. 570wi-576wi
5) 1958-61 Watermark Multiple Crowns Graphite lined 8 values. SG587-594
Inverted Watermark Multiple Crowns Graphite Lined. SG 587wi-592wi
6) 1959 Watermark St Edward’s Crown Phosphor Graphite lined 3 values. SG599-601
7) 1959 Watermark Multiple Crowns Phosphor Graphite lined 5 values. SG605-609
8) 1960-67 Watermark Multiple Crowns Phosphor 17 values. SG 610-618a
Watermark Sideways Multiple Crowns Phosphor. SG. 610a-616ab
Watermark Inverted Multiple Crowns Phosphor. SG 610wi-616wi
1957 46th Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference Watermark St Edward’s Crown. SG 560 (12 September 1957)
DECIMAL WILDINGS.
50th Anniversary of Wilding Definitives.
MS printed by De La Rue.
MS #1 5 December 2002. SG. MS2326
MS #2 20 May 2003 SG, MS2367
Prestige Booklet The Definitive Portrait-Wildings SG. 2031-2033 -Booklet DX20 (10 March 1998)
4 panes.
Some Extras, Training School, Booklet Panes and Coils
1952-54 Watermark Tudor Crowns Training School Stamps
1952-54 Watermark Tudor Crowns Coil Leaders
1952-54 Watermark Tudor Crowns Booklet Panes & Coils Assorted
1957-59 Watermark St Edward’s Crowns Booklet Panes & Coils Assorted
1957-59 Watermark St Edward’s Crown Training School Stamps Assorted
1957-59 Watermark St Edward’s Crown Graphite Booklet Pane & coil joins Assorted
1958-64 Watermark Multiple Crowns Cylinder Blocks
1958-64 Watermark Multiple Crowns Training School Stamps. Note different line thickness.
1958-64 Watermark Multiple Crowns Booklet Panes & Coils Assorted
1960-67 Watermark Multiple Crowns Phosphor Booklet Panes & Coils Assorted
