Page 8 - Frank Walton GB Queen Elizabeth II Wildings

Designs

Although these stamps are known as ‘Wildings’, five artists were used. Each design incorporates the photographic
portrait which was taken on 15 April 1952 by Dorothy Wilding Ltd.

Artists were invited to submit essays that featured the head, the four national floral emblems and the words
‘POSTAGE’ and ‘REVENUE’. A total of 75 designs were received from 19 different artists. This artwork is not
available to collectors. Five designs were chosen to cover the 18 values that appeared.

The majority of examples shown on the this and the next page are imperforate imprimatur copies from the first
printing of each value on St Edward’s watermarked paper. The exceptions are the second 2d and 6d stamps
which are from later printings after a shade change, and the 4½d value which wasn’t issued until 1959. The 4½d
stamp is from the imprimatur sheet with blue phosphor and Crowns watermark. All are handstamped ‘BPMA’ on
the back, indicating that they were released from the British Postal Museum and Archive in 2014.

Design by Enid Marx (1902—1998)

½d Orange-Red 1d Ultramarine 1½d Green 2d Red-Brown 2d Light Red-Brown

Design by Michael Farrar-Bell (1911—1993)

2½d Carmine-Red 3d Deep Lilac 4d Ultramarine 4½d Chestnut