Korea “First Day” [Cover]
Name/Title
Korea “First Day” [Cover]Description
A “First Day” cover postmarked on November 2, 1944, on the first day of issue of the Korea stamp, the last stamp in the Overrun Countries Series. Hand painted by Texas cachet maker Gladys Adler.Context
The Overrun Countries Series paid tribute to thirteen countries overrun and occupied by Axis powers. Each stamp has a denomination of 5-cents and shows the flag of the honored country in natural colors. Each flag is surrounded by a purple frame with the mythological bird Phoenix on the left, symbolizing renewal of life, and a kneeling figure breaking the bonds of oppression on the right. The countries honored are Poland, Czechoslovakia, Norway, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Greece, Yugoslavia, Albania, Austria, Denmark, and Korea. The stamps were issued in that sequence at various dates in 1943, except the Korea stamp, which was issued November 2, 1944. The thirteenth and last stamp in the Overrun Countries series, issued on November 2, 1944, features the flag of Korea, the only non-European country to be so honored. Korea had been occupied by the Japanese since 1910. During this period, Korean culture had been suppressed and the country had been modernized to Japanese standards. During World War II, the occupation became harsher, with many Koreans subjected to forced labor there and in Japan. Japan diverted most Korean resources to its war effort.Category
Texas Folk Art: One-Hundred Fifty Years of the Southwestern Tradition