rhodesia through artists’ eyes · rhodesia through artists’ eyes issued 20th july, 1977 this...

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~ 1 ~ RHODESIA THROUGH ARTISTS’ EYES Issued 20 th July, 1977 This issue is described as “Artists of Rhodesia” by the Rhodesia Stamp Catalogue. This is an incorrect description, this is not what the Post Office called the issue. Thomas Baines (24 cents) died before the occupation of the country. It is unlikely that Alice Balfour (8c, 8c & 16c) would have described herself as “Rhodesian”. Joan Evans is more contemporary and can be considered as Rhodesian. (Source: PTC Bulletin No 2 or 1977) EVANS, Mrs. Joan Lois (1905- 1986) 3 cents: Lake Kyle scene, 4 cents: Chimanimani Mountains from Pork Pie Hill, Melsetter. Typical style of Joan Evans Born in Pretoria, South Africa, of English parents, Joan Evans has lived in Rhodesia for sixty- four years and is now regarded as Rhodesia's foremost landscape artist. She attributes her talent to her father, Colonel A. Essex Capell, a painter in his own right. During her early childhood she travelled quite extensively as her father, being in Government service, was posted to Kenya and then to Grenada in the West Indies. In 1913, he was transferred to Rhodesia as Assistant Commissioner of the British South Africa Police and the family settled in Salisbury. Always keen on drawing "since I was able to hold a pencil." Joan matriculated in Art at the Girls High School, Salisbury, but apart from school she had no formal art tuition. A versatile artist, Joan Evans has no media preference and can work equally well in oils, water colours, pastels or pen and wash. Nor does she confine herself to landscapes - flowers, seascapes and "moderns" are other favourite subjects which give her great pleasure

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Page 1: RHODESIA THROUGH ARTISTS’ EYES · RHODESIA THROUGH ARTISTS’ EYES Issued 20th July, 1977 This issue is described as “Artists of Rhodesia” by the Rhodesia Stamp Catalogue. This

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RHODESIA THROUGH ARTISTS’ EYES

Issued 20th July, 1977

This issue is described as “Artists of Rhodesia” by the Rhodesia Stamp Catalogue. This is an

incorrect description, this is not what the Post Office called the issue. Thomas Baines (24 cents)

died before the occupation of the country. It is unlikely that Alice Balfour (8c, 8c & 16c) would

have described herself as “Rhodesian”. Joan Evans is more contemporary and can be considered

as Rhodesian.

(Source: PTC Bulletin No 2 or 1977)

EVANS, Mrs. Joan Lois (1905- 1986)

3 cents: Lake Kyle scene,

4 cents: Chimanimani Mountains from Pork Pie Hill, Melsetter.

Typical style of Joan Evans

Born in Pretoria, South Africa, of English parents, Joan Evans has lived in Rhodesia for sixty-

four years and is now regarded as Rhodesia's foremost landscape artist. She attributes her talent

to her father, Colonel A. Essex Capell, a painter in his own right. During her early childhood

she travelled quite extensively as her father, being in Government service, was posted to Kenya

and then to Grenada in the West Indies. In 1913, he was transferred to Rhodesia as Assistant

Commissioner of the British South Africa Police and the family settled in Salisbury. Always

keen on drawing "since I was able to hold a pencil."

Joan matriculated in Art at the Girls High School, Salisbury, but apart from school she had no

formal art tuition. A versatile artist, Joan Evans has no media preference and can work equally

well in oils, water colours, pastels or pen and wash. Nor does she confine herself to landscapes

- flowers, seascapes and "moderns" are other favourite subjects which give her great pleasure

Page 2: RHODESIA THROUGH ARTISTS’ EYES · RHODESIA THROUGH ARTISTS’ EYES Issued 20th July, 1977 This issue is described as “Artists of Rhodesia” by the Rhodesia Stamp Catalogue. This

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to paint. Fifteen of her paintings hang in the Rhodesia Parliament and another three in

Government House while two have been purchased by the National Art Gallery in Salisbury.

She has held many "one-man" Exhibitions in Rhodesia and elsewhere and receives commissions

from many parts of the World.

Married to Walter Evans in 1930, they have three children—two sons and a daughter — and

eight grandchildren.

BALFOUR, Alice Blanche (1850-1936)

6 cents: Rocks near Bonsor Reef.

8 cents: A "dwala" near Devil's Pass.

16 cents: At Zimbabwe.

In camp near Fort Victoria

Mashonas near Kopje

Daughter of James Maitland Balfour of Whittingehame and his wife, Lady Blanche Cecil,

daughter of the 2nd Marquis of Salisbury, and a sister of Arthur James Balfour, who became

Prime Minister of Britain and later the 1st Earl of Balfour. In 1894 she toured South Africa and

Rhodesia in company with A. H. G. Grey and his wife (afterwards the 4th Earl and Countess

Grey) and H. Fitzwilliam.

The party arrived at Cape Town in April, 1894 and, after visiting Basutoland, Johannesburg and

Kimberley, made a tour of Matabeleland and Mashonaland, travelling by ox-wagon from the

railhead north of Mafeking to Bulawayo and from there through Fort Victoria, Salisbury and

Umtali to Beira. Here Miss Balfour and Fitzwilliam parted company with the Greys, and made

their return journey to England up the east coast of Africa.

In 1895 she published an account of her journey, entitled Twelve Hundred Miles in a Waggon

(Edward Arnold). Miss Balfour was a keen amateur artist. During her tour of Southern Africa

she made numerous sketches and water-colours.

Her obituary notice in the Times of 13 June, 1936, states that "she was so acutely conscious of

the gulf which divides the professional from the amateur, that she took little pleasure in her

water-colour drawings of animals and landscapes, which nevertheless had great delicacy and

accuracy".

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BAINES, John Thomas (1820-1875)

24 cents: Bird's Eye View of the Victoria Falls.

Baines and Chapman on the Zambezi above the Victoria Falls

Born at Kings' Lynn, Norfolk, on the 27th November, 1820, He Was educated at home and then

apprenticed to a coach-builder to learn the art of heraldic painting on carriage panels, but an

innate love of art soon led him to devote much of his leisure time to landscapes and other works.

In 1842 he left England for South Africa, he worked in Cape Town as a painter and artist and

in 1846 he began to travel to other regions of the Cape Colony. By 1853 he had made his name

as an artist and explorer.

Returning to England in 1834, Baines was appointed artist to the North-West Australian

Expedition under Augustus Gregory and so distinguished himself, that on his return he was

given the freedom of the Borough of Kings' Lynn. He returned to South Africa in 1860 and in

1862 he journeyed with his friend, Thomas Chapman, from the South-West Africa coast to the

Victoria Falls on the Zambesi River.

He spent several weeks at the Victoria Falls, making drawings and measurements and

subsequently published a folio volume of coloured lithographs of the Falls. Baines spent the

years 1864-68 in England, lecturing, Writing and drawing illustrations for various periodicals.

Towards the end of 1868 he returned to Africa under agreement with company to prospect for

gold in Mashonaland. Becoming friendly with Lobengula, supreme chief of the Matabele

Nation, he was granted the first mineral concession but unfortunately, he was never to exploit

it. He died of dysentery in Durban on the 8th May, 1875, leaving behind a wealth of pictures

and diaries.

Page 4: RHODESIA THROUGH ARTISTS’ EYES · RHODESIA THROUGH ARTISTS’ EYES Issued 20th July, 1977 This issue is described as “Artists of Rhodesia” by the Rhodesia Stamp Catalogue. This

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THE ISSUED STAMPS

Catalogue listings

SG RSC2 Value Description

543 C167 3c Lake Kyle scene – Joan Evans

a. “Red mark on hill under tree” (Cyl 1B 5/5)

544 C168 4c Chimanimani Mountains – Joan Evans

545 C169 6c Rocks near Bonsor Reef – Alice Balfour

a. “Blue stone on rock” (Cyl 1A R8/3)

546 C170 8c A ‘Dwala’ near Devil’s Pass – Alice Balfour

a. “Red mark on hill” (Cyl 1A R4/1)

b. “Black ‘tyre’ at side of road” (Cyl 1A R10/5)

547 C171 16c At Zimbabwe – Alice Balfour

548 C172 24c Victoria Falls – Thomas Baines

a. “Red dot on ‘4’ of 24” (Cyl 1B R5/3)

Technical details

Stamp size: 42 x 28 mm

Sheet Size: 50 stamps (10 rows of 5 stamps), two panes within printed sheet

Artist: Joan Evans, Alice Balfour & Thomas Baines

Paper: Type 13– white fluorescent paper, gum with greenish tinge, slightly

sheen

Print colours: All values – cyan, yellow, magenta & black

Perforations: Comb perf: SG 14, RSC 14¼

Top margin: Perforated through

Side and bottom margins: Imperforate

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Printer’s Imprint: Type 6a, bottom margin, below columns 2 to 4 – black printing

Cylinder numbers: Cyls. 1A & 1B bottom margin under R10/1, colours reading across

from left - cyan, yellow, magenta, black (all values)

Colour register: Type TL 4 – round boxed - left margin opposite R10/1, colours

reading down - cyan, yellow, magenta, black (all values)

Sheet Value: Bottom margin, below R10/5, black printing

Sheet Number: Type SN 4 with ‘PTC’ prefix, right margin opposite R10/5, reading

downwards.

Print numbers: 3c - 2,050,000 stamps (20,500 1A & 1B sheets each

4c - 4,050,000 stamps (40,500 1A & 1B sheets each)

6c - 850,000 stamps (8,500 1A & 1B sheets each)

8c - 650,000 stamps (6,500 1A & 1B sheets each)

16c - 450,000 stamps (4,500 1A & 1B sheets each)

24c - 400,000 stamps (4,000 1A & 1B sheets each)

Issue date: 20th July, 1977

Withdrawal from sale: 20th April, 1978

Demonetarisation: 17th April, 1978

Listed varieties

Below are varieties documented or seen for each of the values, starting with the listed varieties

within the Mashonaland Guide1, and those listed in the RSC2, shown in yellow shaded tables. The

varieties listed in bold are considered by the authors of the Guide to be more important.

In studying this issue under magnification, a vast range of other dots and specks will be noted.

Some of these varieties are constant whilst others will be batch flaws. The varieties listed by the

Mashonaland Guide are not necessarily the most spectacular of these dots and specks, but are

never-the-less the ones illustrated below.

There are also many examples of a double printing of the black ink, this is particularly noted with

the text on the stamp. Most are fairly minor movements or doubling of the text and are not worth

listing here, but should be noted by collectors. The more dramatic are illustrated below.

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Cyl Row Col

3 cents – Lake Kyle 1A

3 4

Red spot in lake near shore, in addition

there is a cyan dot in the like.

(The combination of magenta and cyan

dots can be seen in other positions. May

be multipositive)

7 3 Dot over ‘E’ of Rhodesia

8 2 Dot over red tree

1B

1 1 Batch flaw - Pink spot under hill at left

1 4 Blue dash in top margin over ‘R’ of

Rhodesia

2 5 Batch flaw - White oblique dash before

‘3’

5 5

Red mark under lower left branch of

red tree.

RSC C167

Page 7: RHODESIA THROUGH ARTISTS’ EYES · RHODESIA THROUGH ARTISTS’ EYES Issued 20th July, 1977 This issue is described as “Artists of Rhodesia” by the Rhodesia Stamp Catalogue. This

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Cyl Row Col

7 2 Two small dots above left of red tree

4 cents – Chimanimani

Mountains Batch flaws – pink, cyan and white blobs on mountains

1A

9 4

Batch flaw - pink blob on pink hill above

road

(This pink spot on the hills has been

noted in other positions. May be

multipositive)

1B

6 5 Orange blob on road above shadow

6 cents – Rocks near Bonsor Reef 1A

1 3 Red dot under ‘ge’ of Postage

3 2 Black dot below hill under ‘P’ of Postage

8 3

Blue mark on rock right of and below

tree trunk

RSC C169a – Blue stone on rock

9 1 Dot under green branch left of Postage

Page 8: RHODESIA THROUGH ARTISTS’ EYES · RHODESIA THROUGH ARTISTS’ EYES Issued 20th July, 1977 This issue is described as “Artists of Rhodesia” by the Rhodesia Stamp Catalogue. This

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Cyl Row Col

8 cents - A dwala near Devil's Pass 1A

1 4 Red dash above ‘a’ of Rhodesia

4 1

Red dot on side of hill below left-hand

branches

RSC C170a – Red mark on hill

5 3 Dot over centre of rock

7 1 Smudge over left ‘H’ of Rhodesia

9 4 Small red dot over ‘D’ of Rhodesia

10 5

Small black circle above roadside left

of tall tree

RSC C170b – Black ‘tyre’ at side of

road

1B 1 3 Pale area in upright of ‘A’ of Rhodesia (batch flaw)

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Cyl Row Col

3 5 "Extra red leaves" to right of upper right-

hand branches

4 4 "Stone rolling downhill" under the tree

branches

4 5 Blue spot at right of tree-top

8 4 Small dot above ‘A’ of Rhodesia

16 cents - At Zimbabwe 1A

2 4 Black spot above ‘A’ of Rhodesia

3 1 Small red spot above ‘H’ of Rhodesia

3 2 Dot on tuft of grass in front of wall at

right

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Cyl Row Col

4 4 Blue spot above ridge

8 1 Red dot over ‘R’ of Rhodesia

10 4 Two dots, to left of and above euphorbia

1B 2 1 Small black spot to right of euphorbia

3 3 Small red dot at top of design over ‘E’ of

Rhodesia

4 1 Small dot right of upright of ‘H’ of

Rhodesia

6 2 Small black dot right of ‘A’ of Rhodesia

8 1 Dark mark at top of design at right

9 1 Smudgy printing of Rhodesia – ‘E’ sometimes closed. (batch flaw)

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Cyl Row Col

24 cents - Bird's-eye view of Victoria Falls 1A

6 2 Dot over ‘c’ of value

7 1 Batch flaw - red dot after ‘A’ of Rhodesia

7 3 Red dot below ‘D’ of Rhodesia

8 1 White scratch on ‘O’ of Rhodesia and

dot under ‘D’

9 4 Blue vertical dash on bank of river at left

1B

3 4 Dot after ‘2’ of value

5 3

Red spur on tail of ‘4’

RSC C172a. – Red dot on ‘4’ of 24

7 4 Dot over ‘O’ of Rhodesia

Page 12: RHODESIA THROUGH ARTISTS’ EYES · RHODESIA THROUGH ARTISTS’ EYES Issued 20th July, 1977 This issue is described as “Artists of Rhodesia” by the Rhodesia Stamp Catalogue. This

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Cyl Row Col

8 2 Small dot below top margin over ‘O’ of

Rhodesia

9 5 Red dash at top over ‘SI’ of Rhodesia

Unlisted varieties

4 cents

Blue

scratch

from

‘Postage’

to trees

(column 4)

4 Cents

White dot in hills by tree to left. Probably a small

spot of water on the cyan plate which stopped ink

transfer to paper

6 cents

Double black. Strip below showing

progressive doubling from right to left.

Stamp in column 1 opposite

8 cents

A number of stamps have been seen with

what appears to be green bush in the

otherwise brownish landscape. Caused by

water on magenta plate following

application of cyan and yellow

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Double black printing to far left stamp in strip of three

(Courtesy Dave Trathen)

First Day Cover

The cover numbering comes from the catalogue produced by Geoff Brakspear

Cover 70.1 PTC

193 x 127 mm

Related material

Presentation card with PTC logo and

name in gold, with set of issued stamps.

(Source: rhodesia.co.za)

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The National Archives of Rhodesia produced a set of six postcard size colour reproductions of

water colours by Alice Balfour in 1894. Note that whilst these cards are postcard size they have

not been printed as postcards. Three of the cards produced included the three Alice Balfour

stamps in the Rhodesia through artists’ eyes issue. The description below each card is as printed

on the back of the card

Group of granite rocks about two miles S. W. of

Bonsor Reef, on the track from Bulawayo,

Longwe hills in the distance, July 15, 1894

Between Salisbury and Umtali, about four miles west of the

Devil’s Pass, August 24, 1894

At Zimbabwe, July 29, 1894. A drystone

granite wall is part of one comparatively ill-

built small ruins. The “Great Zimbabwe”, or

Temple, is farther to the right.

The Limpopo or Crocodile River a few hundred yards below

its junction with the Marico river, June 12, 1894

Veldt about six miles south of Fort Charter,

August 6, 1894

Tati River, June 27, 1894

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Postcards featuring Joan Evans’ paintings

Series of postcards probably published before 1965 (cards refer to S Rhodesia), possibly published

and/or printed by C.T.Ltd.

Upper reaches of Maleme Dam, Bulawayo

In the Mazoe Valley, S Rhodesia

A scene in a Rhodesian Native Reserve

Evening on a Rhodesian river

Spring colours on the Rhodesian sandveld

The mountain road to Troutbeck, Inyanga, S Rhodesia

Bibliography

1. “A Guide to the Postage Stamps of Rhodesia”, supplement No 5, issued 1978, published by the Mashonaland

Philatelic Study Group

2. “The Rhodesia Stamp Catalogue”, 1983/84, published by Salisbury Stamp Company

3. Post & Telecommunications Corporation Bulletin No 2 of 1977, published by the Philatelic Bureau