Takis,you certainly are a rich man. -- If the above stamp is yours ! A complete sheet of ten of this unissued stamp was sold in 2010 for about half a million Euro. A single corner-copy in 2017 brought roughly € 150.000.- Michel lists it € 150.000 for mint n.h. and € 100.000.- for used. For further details see post #67.
Astrid Lindgren,undoubtedly the most revered author of children´s books,not only in Germany. Stamp issued Nov.8th,2007,commemorating Lindgren´s 100th birth- anniversary.Twin-issue with Sweden.
Maria Callas (1923-1977) was an American-born Greek soprano and one of the most renowned and influential opera singers.
Marion Gräfin (countess) Dönhoff was born in Eastern-Prussia on her family´s castle (Schloß Friederichstein,near Königsberg). She grew up and was educated like a typical rich girl of nobility. She studied National Economy,finishing "summa cum laudae". Her mostly right-wing fellow students called her the "Red Countess", because her political views were critical to the "unlimited capitalism". When the Nazis took power,she went to Switzerland,where she obtained her doctorate. In the following years she travelled "the world".She visited the US for a two months roundtrip,Kenya to go on Safari with her brother, but also Russia twice and many other countries. Outspoken critical to the Nazi-rule,she was prudent enough,to remain low-key and was only once interrogated by the Gestapo, on a denunciation by an estranged uncle. During the war she managed one of the large domains owned by her family. When the Russians closed in on Eastern-Prussia in the winter of 1944/45,she was convinced by friends to flee,because the Russians for sure would have killed her,because of her descent. She rode all the way (1200 km) to the West of Germany on her horse, with several rests at places of related nobility. Immediately after the war she was part in the creation of "Die Zeit". "Die Zeit" is a highly regarded weekly political newspaper. She remained with "Die Zeit" till to her death.At time as writer,four years as editor in chief and all the time as one of the publishers. She was highly respected by all political relevant parties,but was always close to the Social Democratic Party.She was offered by Willy Brandt the candidacy for the presidentship of West-Germany, but declined.She probably was the most highly respected journalist of Germany.When she finally died at old age,her funeral was very much like a state funeral. One of her less serious passions was driving fast cars.She rode her Porsche with high speed ((in Germany there are no (in parts) speed limits on highways (Autobahnen)) till her late eighties. Stamp issued Nov.12th,2009,commemorating Dönhoff´s 100th birth anniversary. The text on the stamp,is the obituary written by fellow "Die Zeit" co-publisher Helmut Schmidt,former Bundeskanzler of Germany.
Elly Beinhorn 1907 - 2007,was a german aviator. She worked as aecrobatic pilot and performed many first- and record- flighst in the 1930th.The stamp was issued to commemorate her 13,5 h. Gleiwitz-Istanbul-Berlin record-flight in 1935. Stamp issued Aug.12th,2010.
Mother Teresa,now church-officially named "Saint Teresa of Calcutta" was born to albanian parents in 1910 as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in todays Skopje in North-Macedonia,then Osman Empire. She entered a catholic order in her teens and was soon sent to India. In Calcutta she worked as a teacher and later head-mistress at a catholic school for about seventeen years. In 1948 she was allowed to leave and to establish a hospice cum hospital for the poor.Later she was allowed to built a new order:"Missionaries of Charity".It is claimed that at the time of her death in 1997,the order had more than 5000 members and had institutions in more than 120 countries worlwide. St.Teresa collected many prizes and awards,culminating with winning the Nobel-Peace-Prize in 1979. By the Catholic Church she was promoted like a pop-icon.Her beatification and canonization were promoted with high speed. She was a conservative and outspoken adversary of abortions and by that close to the polish pope John Paul II. She has many critics,but many more admirers. Stamp issued Aug.12th,2010,commemorating her 100th birth-anniversary.
The sisters Fromme,aquarell- and India Ink-painting by Johann Gottfried Schadow from 1804. Not much is known about the sisters.They were commoners.One of them, don´t know wether it is the right or the left on the prortrait,was "close" to Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia,with whom she had two children. The prince,a prussian general,composer and pianist,fell on the battle- field in 1806.
Another masterpiece by Schadow shows the sisters Louise (1776-1810) and Friederike (1778-1841) von Mecklenburg-Strelitz,when 17 and 15 years old. In that year (March 1793) the sister met "by accident" Friederich Wilhelm II,King of Prussia,at theatre evening in Frankfurt.The King was enchanted by the girls,thinking of brides for his two sons. Christmas 1793 they married. Louise married the crown prince,the later Friederich Wilhelm III, resulting in a lifelong "love-story".(See post #13) Friederikes marriage was less lucky,because her husband Friederich Ludwig preferred his mistresses. But Friederike did not mind too much,- Prince Louise of Prussia,her uncle claimed to be among her lovers -,so when her husband died in 1796 by diphteria,the pair had three small children. When Friederike became pregnant again in 1798,she married Friederich Wilhelm zu Solms-Braunfels (1776-1814),who acknowledged the fatherhood.So a scandal was avoided. The new marriage was more or less on paper only. In 1813 Friederike met Ernst August,Duke of Cumberland (1771-1851) the fifth son of Georg(e) III (1738-1820),King of Hannover and Great Britain.The death of her current husband by a stroke a year later solved the problem and she could marry the duke in 1815. After the death of Wilhem (William) IV,King of Hannover and G.B., Victoria,daughter of the fourth son of Georg(e) III,became Queen of G.B. However in Hannover only males could inherit the throne,so Friederike´s husband Ernst August became King of Hannover. In 1841,after a short,illness the life of this remarkably emancipated woman came to an end.
That's a fascinating slice of history and a great narrative you have put together Werner. Thanks for the informative post.
Cetenary of women franchise in Germany.Issued Jan.2nd,2019. The lady-orator on the stamp is Marie Juchacz. (see posts #23 and #33)
Born 1864 into a wealthy family in Braunschweig,she had to leave home and went to Zürich at the age of 15,because she was pursuing a love-affair with the husband of her older sister. Because at the time it was not possible for women to study at universities in Germany,she stayed on in Zürich to study history, philology and philosophy. Her main-interest laid in history,but she also wrote poetry,novels and for the theatre.She lived in several places of Austria-Hungary and Germany,later mainly in Berlin. She was a strict opponent of the Nazi-rule,but had powerful protectors, like the minister of justice,who shielded her from persecution by the Gestapo.She had written important books about the Risorgimento led by Garribaldi in Italy,what made her dear to Italy´s Fascits.And of course,the Nazis did not want to offend their allies in Italy. After the war,she was promoted by the Communists,but fled from the Russian Zone in 1947,to Frankfurt,where she soon fell ill and died. At the time of her death,she was considered as the most eminent female author of Germany.But today the memory of her has faded. Stamp issued July 3rd,2014.
Pina (Phillipina) Bausch was born in Solingen,where her parents ran a pub cum hotel.Aged fourteen she joined the "Folkwangschule",a prestigious art school in (my hometown) Essen to study dance.Five years later she finished her studies and was the winner of the Folkwang-Prize. The money,what came with that prize,made it possible to go to New York for further studies.She also got an engagement at the Metropolitan Opera.After three years she returned to Germany and became a member and later art-director of the Folkwang-Ballett in Essen.Simultaniously she also taught as a lecturer for dance at the Folkwangschule. In 1973 she became art director for dance at the theatre in Wuppertal. Over the years Wuppertal became the undisputed leading place for Ballett-Dance in Germany.With her company she toured "the world" (at least 40 countries) with the main-focus on the US and Japan. She created very much her own style,a synthesis of modern and classical dance. (my own understanding) In the 1980 she also toured the DDR (GDR) and was so highly esteemed,that she was elected as a member into the academy of arts of the GDR. She was torn away from her work,by her sudden death (2009), five days after having learned,that she had lung-cancer. Stamp issued July 1st,2015,commemorating her 75th birth-anniversary.
Hannelore (Loki) Schmidt was born in 1919 as child of a workers family in Hamburg.When ten years old,Loki, - she invented her nick-name as a small child herself -,went to a co-educational school. She was in the same class as her later husband Helmut Schmidt. Together they smoked theirs first cigaretts,for both of them becoming a life-long habit.Helmut Schmidt later was the only person in Germany, who smoked when on television. When the Nazis ended co-education in Germany,Loki went to a convent- school.As the family did not have money to pay the fees,Loki could not study her preferred field,Biology and Botany.Instead she studied to become a teacher.In that profession she worked from 1940 till 1972. In 1942 Loki and Helmut Schmidt,who served as an officer on the Ost-Front (eastern front against Russia),married. From 1974 till 1982 she filled in the role of the wife of a german Bundeskanzler.But she also was back to her beloved Botany.As the wife of the Bundeskanzler she could foster many projects to save endangered plants.She wrote a number of books,not only about Botany and became a best-selling author at the age of 90,when she published her memories. Half a dozen plants are named after her,among them one,she had discovered herself in Mexico. After a short illness,she died in 2010. Stamp issued on March 1st,2019.
Helmut & Loki Schmidt,issued March 1st,2019. Text: Marriage June 27th,1942.Common dwelling in Hamburg. Today seat of the Helmut and Loki Schmidt Foundation.
Nice example of a poor stamp: "Women of the Reformation",issued Oct.1st,2020. There are a number of women who played an important part in the Reformation,like f.i. Katharina von Bora (see post # 61). But they took three faceless women,looking like bigots. Poor design,extreme high face-value.
Renger was bornn as Annemarie Wildung in Leipzig. Her mother joined the SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany) in 1919,as soon as woman were allowed to do so.Her father,a carpenter, was a party member,as well as her grandfather had been. Annemarie joined the party in 1945,as soon as the Nazi-rule had ended. Her husband Emil Renger,whoem she had married in 1938,died in the war in 1944.She also lost three of her four brothers in the war. In 1945 she became the private-secretary of the party leader Kurt Schumacher.They also lived together,till his death in 1952. She became a member of the Bundestag,the (west-) german parliament in 1953 and remained a M.P. till 1990.When the SPD won the elections in 1972,she became the president of the Bundestag.From 1976 when the SPD was no longer the strongest party,she was one of the vice- presidents till she retired in 1990. Renger was one the right wing of the SPD,a group called the "canal- workers",who´s members came from a workers background and had close ties to the trade unions.In her long parliamentary career,she held many postions.She was regarded as the "grand dame" of the SPD. Stamp issued Oct.10th,2019.
Katharina Kasper was born in Dernbach in the Westerwald,a mountain region in Germany,famous for being cold and poor (in former times). She was the daughter of a farmer and worked as a farm-hand,when old enough. In 1845,she and four other woman found a group to help the poor, the ill and children.In 1848 they moved together as a group, sharing a house. In 1851 they became,with the active help of the bishop of Limburg, a catholic order,named: "Arme Dienstmägde Jesu Christi" (poor maidservants of Jesus Christ). Kasper became the leader and later general-superior of the order. In 1868 the first foreign branch of the order was established in the USA. When Kasper died in 1898,the order had 1725 sisters in 193 branches. She is burried in her hometown Dernbach. She was beatificated in 1978 and canonized (sainthood) in 2018. Stamp issued June 4th,2020.
