French Post-WWII Zone of Baden (1947-1948)

FRENCH POST-WWII ZONE OF BADEN (1947-1948) was created for the new state of Baden after the war. It was formed out of the southern part of the former Duchy of Baden, with its capital at Freiburg. This new state of Baden, in its 1947 constitution, was declared to be the true successor of the "old" Baden. The Northern part of the old duchy was combined with Wurttemberg, in the American zone, and it later became part of the new state of Wurttemberg-Baden.

The thirteen new French zone stamps for the state of Baden, shown here, were issued in 1947. The stamps were photogravure and printed on unwatermarked papers of varying quality.

The new definitive set featured six designs, which are a portrait of Johann Peter Hebel, a girl of Constance, a portrait of Hans Baldung Grien, Rastatt Castle, a Black Forest scene, and the Cathedral of Freiburg. The first four designs were repeated in varying denominations and colors within the set, as indicated in the respective images.

 

The cancellation postmark on this cover was a line drawing of Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, also known as Baroness Anna Elisabeth Franziska Adolphine Wilhelmine Louise Maria von Droste zu Hülshoff (1797 - 1848). She was a 19th-century German poet, novelist, and composer of Classical music.  She resided in the Meersburg Bodensee (Lake Constance) area of Baden. In keeping with the stamps issued in French Zone during this period, notable people who made significant contributions in the humanities usually appeared on postage stamps, hence the postmark of Annette von Droste-Hülshoff.

Due to the post-war economic crisis in the German occupation zones, the Western Allies instituted currency reform during June of 1948. The old Reichsmark currency was replaced by a new Deutsche Mark currency, and this would eventually become the official currency of the soon-to-be Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) until 2002, when it would be replaced by the Euro. The 1947 stamp designs were re-issued between June and September of 1948 to coincide with the currency reform.

The same 1947 designs were used,

though the new stamps had changes in color and denomination. Two new designs were added to the 1948 set, with those being a girl wearing a festival headdress and a portrait of Grand Duchess Stephanie.

Source: Stamp Collecting World