Ceres, the goddess of harvest and agriculture, was the first French postal stamp starlet. One could affix this stunning black stamp to a letter as of January 1, 1849.
Prepaid franking was quite the innovation. The letter's receiver had forked out the postage price in the past. The geeky art of philately (stamp collecting) was born as well.
Ceres' chief festival was in April and was celebrated by tying burning pieces of wood to the tails of foxes and then letting them loose. I guess it's a little to late to call the animal protection agency!
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8 cool cats commented:
The letter image is postmarked January 4, 1849. Mailmen weren't quite sure yet how to cancel letters. They typically just crossed out the stamp with a pen. This letter is priced in a catalogue at 3,000 Euros! Holy Moly!
Thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to vote for my picture!!
For the longest time he called the doll 'baby', but just last week he renamed him Jacob. He loves that babydoll and I have so many pictures of him and Jacob together!
I love seeing Shannon's desiegns too. She is amazingly talented.
You have a great site! I can't wait to peruse through all the cards that you have avaiable.
Best wishes on your business!
Cere's is very beautiful... and smart. Just think of all the places she's travled on someone else's dime!
Trish - My son had a babydolj he named Hannah. Now that he's an older 'big boy' (5 years old) he won't admit to it!
Daddy - o - Ceres is certainly the saucy seasoned traveler!
There is a town in the San Joaquin valley agricultural region of California named Ceres. Now, thanks to you, "Louis" knows why the town is so named!
"Louis" thanks you for visiting San Francisco Bay Daily Photo
Louis! I read on Wiki that there is also:
* Ceres, California
* Ceres, Georgia
* Ceres, Iowa
* Ceres, New York
* Ceres, Oklahoma
* Ceres, Virginia
* Ceres, Washington
* Ceres, West Virginia
That wheat goddess gets around:)
Only France would have a postage goddess! And what a goddess she is! I love those stamps! And tying burning pieces of wood to foxes' tails? I'm trying to understand the connection! :)
I think that we'll all be wondering for a long time! The Romans were just kooky! (It's my favorite historical period to study:)
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