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January 2nd 2011. Queen Emma - 175th Anniversary of her Birth.
Two stamps and a minisheet were issued on January 2nd 2011 to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the birth of Queen Emma.
Queen Emma was born in Honolulu on January 2, 1836. Her mother was Fanny Kekelaokalani Young and her father was Chief George Naea. Emma was the grand-daughter of a Hawaiian High Chiefess and John Young, a British sailor, and the most trusted advisor to King Kamehameha I. Emma was adopted by her mother’s sister Grace Kama'iku'i and Dr. Thomas Rooke, her English husband.
She married King Kamehameha IV on June 19, 1856 in Kawaiahao Church. Both were very pro-British and ran the Court with great style. They started Queen’s Hospital which still exists today. They had a son, Prince Albert (shown on the $6 stamp) born on May 20, 1858, but tragedy struck and he died at the age of only 4 years old. After her husband’s death just 15 months later, King Kamehameha V took to the throne. He died without an heir, and Lunalilo became King.
King Lunalilo died in 1874 and a political battle began between Queen Emma and David Kalakaua for the throne of Hawai'i. Kalakaua won with 39 votes to Emma’s 6 votes from the Legislature.
The Queen Emma Summer Palace (shown on the $9 mini-sheet above) was consructed in 1848 for John George Lewis, a dry goods merchant. The frame that was cut in Boston and then shipped to Hawai'i. The house was sold to John Young II in 1850 for $6,000. He named it Hanaiakamalama, which means "foster child of the God Kalama." When John Young died in 1857, he bequeathed the home to Emma. The gardens were landscaped by a Danishman, H. Augustus de Holstein.
After Queen Emma died on April 25,1885, the Summer Palace changed hands several times. In 1890, the Hawaiian Monarchical Government bought the property. In 1913, they turned it over to the Daughters of Hawai'i, who set about restoring it. The Palace is on the National Register of Historic sites. Today, it is open to the public as a museum and contains many interesting artifacts from Queen Emma's time.
The $6 stamp (top, above left) prepays the Overnight rate. It shows Queen Emma's son, Prince Albert from a painting.
The $9 stamp (top, above right) prepays the Same Day rate. It shows a colorized photograph of Queen Emma.
The special postmark for this issue depicts a map of the island of O'ahu, with a star over the site of Honolulu where Queen Emma was born.
WE ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS ON ALL ORDERS
Technical details of the stamps:
Colors: Multicolored
Size: Individual Stamp - 38mm x 51mm. Minisheet - 76mm x 51mm.
Stamp sheet size: 16 (4 across, 4 down)
Perforation: Perf 12. Minisheet - imperf.
Stamps design: Enelani.
Layout & Pre-press: Enelani.
Printer: Hawai'i Security Printers, Honolulu, Hawai'i.
Printing Method: 4-color (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) printing process.
Sheet margin markings: HAWAI'I POST (top middle), "Traffic Light" showing 4 colors used in printing (lower left side), © 2011 Hawai'i Post (lower right side) & Hawai'i Security Printers, Honolulu, Hawai'i. (bottom middle)
Paper: GPA coated white stock with water-activated gum on the back.
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For details on upcoming stamp issues click here