A Royal History in Miniature: The Story of British Postage Stamps

Machin series

On a recent episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, the £250,000 question was:

Introduced in 1967, the ‘Machin series’ refers to a definitive UK design of what?
A – Car number plates
B – Telephone boxes
C – Motorway signs
D – Postage stamps

The correct answer? Postage stamps.

This article explores the fascinating story of British stamp design, tracing its evolution from Queen Victoria’s reign through to King Charles III.

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Why Do Monarchs Face Left on Stamps?

Unlike coins, where the monarch’s profile alternates direction with each reign, British stamps always show the sovereign facing left. The reason is symbolic and practical: the monarch “faces the envelope,” a small but meaningful tradition that has endured for nearly two centuries.

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The Birth of the Postage Stamp

Sir Rowland Hill
National Portrait Gallery

In the 1830s, Britain’s postal service was corrupt, inefficient, and prohibitively expensive. Letters were often carried free under the privilege of peers and MPs, while ordinary people faced high charges.

Penny Black

Sir Rowland Hill, a teacher, inventor, and reformer, proposed a radical solution. In 1837, he published his pamphlet Post Office Reform: Its Importance and Practicability, calling for uniform, low-cost postage based on weight rather than distance, and for prepayment through adhesive stamps or letter sheets. Though initially dismissed as “preposterous,” Hill’s ideas gained strong backing from merchants and bankers who demanded reform.

By 1839, Hill was hired to implement his plan, and in 1840 the world’s first adhesive stamp, the Penny Black, was issued. Featuring an engraved profile of Queen Victoria by Charles Heath and printed by Perkins, Bacon & Petch, it revolutionised communication. Though simple in design, it was groundbreaking in concept, and it remained in use throughout Victoria’s reign.

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Edward VII and George V: A New Century of Design

Emil Fuchs

Tyrian Plum

Edward VII (1901–1910) was the first king to appear on stamps, and he took a strong interest in how his image was presented. Displeased with the early efforts, he suggested the work of Austrian artist Emil Fuchs, a sculptor and portrait painter popular in high society. One of the most famous planned issues of his reign was the deep-red “Tyrian Plum” stamp. Yet Edward’s sudden death in 1910 meant the stamps were never circulated; most were destroyed, making the few survivors some of the rarest in philately today.

George V (1910–1935), Edward’s son, was himself a devoted stamp collector,

Bertram Mackennal

and he personally oversaw the designs produced during his reign. The first issues, based on photographs by court photographer W. D. Downey, were poorly received due to their weak engraving. Determined to improve the quality, the Post Office commissioned the Australian sculptor Bertram Mackennal (BM). His bold and dignified designs, inspired by his experience in coin and medal engraving, became the defining stamps of George V’s reign and remained in use until he died in 1935.

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Edward VIII: A Brief and Unfinished Chapter

Hubert Brown's stamp design

Edward VIII (1936) had one of the shortest reigns in British history, lasting less than a year, yet plans for stamps were already underway. Early designs showed him in full regimental dress, though the king himself preferred simpler representations. In an unusual twist, a design created by Hubert Brown, a 17-year-old art student, was selected for development — a rare honour for someone so young. However, Edward’s abdication in December 1936 brought the project to an abrupt halt, leaving only proofs and essays as a record of what might have been. These unissued designs are now some of the most intriguing artefacts in British stamp history.

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George VI: Continuity and Elegance

Bertram Park

When George VI (1936–1952) succeeded his brother, there was immediate pressure to issue stamps in time for his coronation in 1937. Photographer Bertram Park provided the official portrait used in the first designs, which were prepared hastily but with careful attention to tradition.

Edmund Dulac
credit - National Portrait Gallery

Over the course of his reign, further designs were developed, including elegant contributions from Edmund Dulac, the French-born illustrator and artist. Dulac’s work introduced a more refined and artistic quality to George VI’s stamps, ensuring they were not merely stop-gap measures after Edward VIII but enduring pieces of design in their own right.

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Elizabeth II and the Iconic Machin Series

Dorothy Wilding

Elizabeth II (1952–2022) began her reign with a set of stamps based on a three-quarter photographic portrait taken by Dorothy Wilding in 1952. These early issues conveyed youthful dignity and continuity with the past, and they served as the definitive portrait for the first decade of her reign.

Arnold Machin

A turning point came in the 1960s with the work of sculptor Arnold Machin. His simple yet striking profile portrait, first issued in 1967, became one of the most reproduced artworks in history. Shown against a plain block of colour, the Queen’s profile — serene, crowned, and timeless —

olive-sepia brown

was both modern and deeply traditional. The first issue in olive-sepia brown deliberately echoed the tones of the Penny Black, creating a visual bridge to the origins of postage itself. For over 50 years, Machin’s design defined Britain’s stamps and became an enduring icon of the monarchy.

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Charles III: A Modern Classic

With the accession of Charles III (2022– ), the challenge was to honour this long tradition while presenting a new royal image. The definitive design draws inspiration from the simplicity of the Machin series. The portrait is based on coinage created by sculptor Martin Jennings, known for his public statues of John Betjeman (2007), Philip Larkin (2010), and Mary Seacole (2016).

Issued in 2023, Charles’s first stamps maintain the uncluttered, side-profile tradition established by Machin, emphasising continuity while subtly marking the beginning of a new era. They demonstrate how a small square of paper can carry not just value, but also history, identity, and the evolving image of the monarchy.

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Conclusion

From Rowland Hill’s 1837 pamphlet to the 2023 issues of King Charles III, British stamps have been more than tools for sending letters. They are miniature works of art, carrying nearly two centuries of history, politics, and culture. Each monarch’s portrait tells a story — of innovation, of tradition, and of the enduring power of design in the everyday objects we often take for granted.