A Recollection of “Her Stories” Told Through Postage Stamps
TAIPEI, Taiwan — As an amateur collector of postage stamps, I couldn’t miss the exhibition Her Stories on the Postage Stamps at the often-overlooked Postal Museum found in the heart of Taipei city.
A collaboration between the Postal Museum and the National Museum of History (NHM), Her Stories on the Postage Stamps explores the various facets of women as portrayed on postage stamps, both domestic and foreign.
The exhibition is divided into various themes, including Young Girls, Ladies & Crafts(wo)manship, Celebrations, Women in Classical Literature, Motherhood, and Outstanding Modern Women & Women in Sports. To complement this extensive collection of postage stamps on show, a selection of items from the National Museum of History is also present, exemplifying the diverse roles that women have played throughout the centuries.
Depictions of Women: From Infancy to Motherhood
A special stamp issue in 1979 features a Chinese painting from the Song dynasty (960–1279). Titled Children Playing Games, the painting is divided into four individual stamps — each with a NTD 5 face value — which can be pieced together to form the complete painting. This so-called “four-in-one block” was a new approach to stamp design at the time.
Two children are depicted on the bottom right, and they seem to be playing with a cat found on the bottom left. A closer look at the children reveals that one of them is a girl, with her younger brother timidly hiding behind her.
This mischievous scene is enriched by shrubs of flowers that seem to have grown out of giant rocks sitting to the left. The presence of camellia and plum blossoms indicate that’s probably late winter to early spring season.
Special stamp issue “Children Playing games”
Portrayal of ladies often reflect the ideals of beauty valued by the society at large. In ancient China, for instance, ladies who had beautiful deportment was said to be poised, graceful and elegant. To be qualified as a cultured and respectable lady, she would need to master the four arts: qin (a stringed instrument), qi ( game of Go), shu (Chinese calligraphy) and hua (Chinese painting).
Postage stamp features the painting of “Leisurely” by Chen Jin
In a series of postage stamps, “Modern Taiwanese Stamps”, issued in 2003 is one that features the painting Leisurely by Chen Jin (1907–1998) — the first female painter to receive recognition in Taiwan.
Using her signature refined brushstroke, Chen gave life to a lady who is seen gently posing on her bed. The luxurious furniture, as well as her cactus-green qipao (mandarin gown), points to her status as a upper-class lady. A closer look reveals that the book she’s holding onto is in fact a poetry collection, a hint to her literary attainment.
To complement these depictions of women found on these tiny canvases, a selection of clothes, accessories and embroidery work from the National Museum of History is showcased in this exhibition. Pairs of red lotus shoes decorated with intricate embroidery recalls the foot-binding traditions practiced by women in ancient China when bound feet was considered a mark of beauty — a prerequisite for lady to finding a husband.
Qing Dynasty Embroidery Stamp Collections
While the items in this collection seem eclectic, it won’t take long for one to recognise what most of them have in common: embroidery. In ancient China, as in many other nations, a woman’s life was closely linked to needlework.
Among the textiles on display is a lavish red satin banner embroidered with vivid depictions of flowers, birds, plants and rocks. Its vibrant red colour and auspicious themes suggest that this banner was probably used at times of celebrations. A magnificent work as such not only demonstrate the rare talent of its makers, but qualifies itself to be featured in “Qing Dynasty Embroidery Stamp Collections” issued in 2013.
A selection of woodblock prints by Lin Chih-hsin from the NHM collection
Becoming a mother marks perhaps the biggest shift in a woman’s life. On display is a selection of woodblock prints by Taiwanese artist Lin Chih-hsin. In these prints, Lin brilliant captures an unspoken affection that the mother has towards her child.
A particular series, titled Parental Affection Between Mother and Son, includes four prints, illustrating the intimate bond between the mother and son living a rural area throughout the four reasons. This series was also chosen as the subject of a postage stamp collection issued in 1992.
A draft for the stamp design is also on display for viewers to have a glimpse of the design process, which shows the original woodblock print, on which the words “Republic of China” and the stamp’s face value are found.
Parental Affection Postage Stamps issued in 1992
Women in Classical Literature and Beyond
One of my favourite sections in this exhibition looks at the depiction of women in classical literature, including Legend of the White Snake, The Butterfly Lovers (also known as the Chinese Romeo and Juliet), and Dream of the Red Chamber.
As one of the greatest novels in Chinese literature, Dream of the Red Chamber is known for its complex portrayal of female characters, many of whom play leading roles.
Between 2014 to 2017, Taiwan’s Chunghwa Post (the official postal service of Taiwan) issued the Red Chamber Dream Postage Stamp Pictorial (I & II), introducing the main characters and scenes from the story. A special booklet, including a set of 20 postcards, was also published to complement this special stamp issue.
Red Chamber Dream Postage Stamp Pictorial (I & II)
The exhibition closes with a section dedicated to women from around the world. On both Taiwanese and foreign postage stamps, we see that woman was chosen as its subject of focus, each featuring an outstanding woman in the field of either arts, culture, science, sports or politics.
Deemed a world traveller, postage stamp is not merely a receipt of payment. As this exhibition has illustrated, postage stamp is but a nation’s symbol. Its blank canvas allows nations to paint and promote their identities, cultures, customs and beliefs across all aspects of life.
Her Stories on the Postage Stamps was on view at the Postal Museum in Taipei city from April 1st, 2022 through July 3rd, 2022. Part of this exhibition has been made available online at the Open Museum.