The Royal Society of Brainstormers

Above: Left to right: Benjamin Franklin, inventor of the lightning conductor; Dorothy Hodgkin, inventor of x-ray crystallography; Edward Jenner, inventor of vaccination; Robert Boyle, founder of modern chemistry; Ernest Rutherford, founding father of nuclear physics; Sir Nicholas Shackleton, pioneer of climate research

On 25th February 2010, Julietta Edgar, Head of Special Stamps at Royal Mail, announced the issue of The Royal Society stamps. The first-class stamps commemorate some of science’s most significant figures from the Royal Society.

What I like about these stamps particularly is their visual representation of inspiration, their ideas as a picture emerging from within the mind of each scientific pioneer.

The splendid split-design stamps made by top ranking design office Hat-Trick Design feature the luminaries’ portraits paired with dramatic and colourful ”brainstorming” imagery representing their achievements. Royal Mail worked closely with experts from the Royal Society to select the 10 illustrious individuals. Six of whom are shown above.

The ten portraits are: Robert Boyle, founder of modern chemistry; Sir Isaac Newton, physicist and optical pioneer; Benjamin Franklin, inventor of the lightning conductor; Edward Jenner, inventor of vaccination; Charles Babbage, developer of programmable computers; Alfred Russel Wallace, pioneer of evolution theory; Joseph Lister, inventor of antiseptic surgery; Ernest Rutherford, founding father of nuclear physics; Dorothy Hodgkin, inventor of x-ray crystallography; Sir Nicholas Shackleton, pioneer of climate research.

The stamps are in a Square, 35mm x 35mm, format and printed by Cartor Security Printing in lithography

Martin Rees, president of The Royal Society, said:
”These stamps commemorate some of the best-known fellows of the Royal Society and their extraordinary achievements. As we celebrate our 350th year, we hope that they will generate a sense of excitement and pride in our scientific history, and strengthen our resolve to ensure that science yields new discoveries and benefits in the 21st century.”

The stamps will remain on sale from Royal Mail for one year—until around 25th February 2011.

Postage stamp design is a meticulous, formal, and public art offering a tiny window on a vast world.

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