Canadian stamp stories

Our latest definitive honouring Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was designed by Steven Slipp, whose work has appeared on more than 20 stamps.

To bring a fresh approach to the latest stamp of Her Majesty, Slipp took an in-depth look at past issues featuring royalty. “It was a real philatelic education, researching and comparing the stamps of our monarchs over more than a century and a half,” he said. “It was also a time-warp for a print nerd like me to see how the techniques and technologies used to create stamps have evolved since the Queen’s coronation in 1953.”

Slipp focused his image research on recent photos to continue the visual narrative of Her Majesty’s reign, deciding on one from 2017. An important factor, he pointed out, was that the photo had to work at the diminutive dimensions of 20 by 24 mm. “I felt we could crop tightly to her face and have the hat brim frame this engaging portrait.”