Coronation
Date of issue: 13 May 1937
Plans for the Coronation of King Edward VIII on 12 May 1937, including a set of stamps, had to be aborted on news of the abdication on 11 December 1936. The Post Office was faced with two demands: new definitives for King George VI and an issue to celebrate his Coronation, still scheduled for 12 May. While unsure whether a Coronation issue was feasible, the Post Office invited Eric Gill to explore ideas, while Edmund Dulac submitted unsolicited designs.
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Discussions with the stamp printers, Harrison & Sons, revealed that a single stamp, 1½d, was possible. The King selected photographs by the Dorothy Wilding Studio, but not being ideal for stamp reproduction, Dulac was asked to prepare a design using hand-drawn interpretations of the photographs.
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