Watercolor paintings by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark on Greenland stamps

New Stamps of the World — By Denise McCarty

New stamps from Greenland reproduce watercolor paintings by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. One of the stamps is a semipostal with a surtax for the Greenlandic Children’s Association, which works to improve the living conditions of children.

According to Greenland Post, this is the first time the queen’s artwork has been pictured on its stamps. Post Greenland issued them April 16, the queen’s birthday.

Born in 1940, Margrethe II ascended to the throne Jan. 14, 1972, the first female monarch of Denmark since the 14th century.

In a 2012 Reuters article by John Archer, the queen said of her paintings, “I’ve always loved the landscape, and as a child what I really wanted to do was draw landscapes when we had drawing lessons.”

Her paintings have been exhibited around in Denmark and around the world. Her other artistic talents include book illustrations, church textiles, decoupage works, embroidery, prints and scenography, according to the website of the Danish monarch.

The semipostal stamp, denominated 14 kroner+1kr, was issued separately in small sheets of 10 and in a souvenir sheet with six other stamps: two 2kr, two 5kr and 10kr.

Connect with Linn’s Stamp News: 

    Sign up for our newsletter
    Like us on Facebook
    Follow us on Twitter

Two labels in the souvenir sheet shows the queen’s cypher and silhouette, respectively, both in gold.