This ongoing enormous project of our beloved Seal News Editor, and Vice President, David Teisler, is making our journal more useful. There are over six thousand pages of Seal News issued since 1931. As new issues of Seal News are released, the project is expanding, and includes, issue, page, author, date, and title of scholarly articles.
TOC Teisler 6-22.xls
Topical or thematic cinderella stamp collecting is the collecting of non postal, stamp like labels relating to a particular subject. Topics can be almost anything, from fish, birds, trains, poets, famous physicians, and scientists, along with historical people and events. Topical collecting allows people to combine an interest in a topic and an interest in cinderella stamp collecting. It’s easy to get started in topical collecting, and yet it offers continuing challenges and enjoyment for advanced collectors.
The American Topical Association (ATA) is the world's largest organization for stamp collectors who focus on specific topics. When these collectors begin to run out of postage stamps in their topic, they often become keenly interested in cinderella stamps, which are virtually anything resembling a postage stamp, but not issued for postal purposes by a government postal administration. Here I have included European Poster Stamps issued for tropical fish events, TB Christmas Seals featuring fish, and State Fishing Revenue (tax) stamps.
Topical collecting is a recognized category for competitive exhibitions and has its own Commission with the FIP (International Stamp Collecting Federation).
Long time officer and servant of the CS&CSS, Florence Wright donates her entire (140+) collection of Saranac Lake/ Trudeau Sanatorium TB postcards to Historic Saranac Lake. These were from Wright's exhibit, "Postcards from the San."
We just received a very pleasing note from the archivist/ curator of "Historic Saranac Lake" about the work she has been doing with those cards. The CS&CSS is delighted!
Hi Florence,
...the first half of your collection is now transcribed, cataloged, and digitized and included in our online collection database: https://historicsaranaclake.pastperfectonline.com/webobject?utf8=%E2%9C%93&search_criteria=%22Florence+Wright+Tuberculosis+Postcard+Collection%22&searchButton=Search
I know that people are really going to enjoy seeing these cards and learning more from them. We shared about the news in honor of World TB Day (which coincidentally is today!) on social media and our blog so I am sure they will get a lot of hits today: https://www.historicsaranaclake.org/history-matters-blog/tuberculosis-thursday-world-tb-day
I need to finish uploading the entries for the other 70-something cards, so they should be up online next week sometime. I can't thank you enough for your passion for collecting these, and your thoughtfulness in donating them to us. I'll keep you posted as we make them available to the public!
Chessie Monks-Kelly, Archivist/ Curator historicsaranaclake.org
Support Ukranian Freedom! Download the file to print a sheet of 30 Sovereign Ukraine poster stamps. Don't forget to use them on your mail (along with a postage stamp) to show your support for the brave people of Ukraine, and to create rare and interesting postal history. Those uplifted hands?; yea, those are Russians surrendering.
ukraine.pdf
The first International Gathering on TB was held in 1867, fifteen years before the TB bacteria was discovered by German Dr. Robert Koch. Other early TB gatherings include The International Congress on Tuberculosis held five times between 1899 and 1912.
The International Union against TB traces its origins to these early conventions of experts from around the world.
The first Conference of the International Union Against TB (IAUT) was held in 1920, Paris, where the IUAT was formed by 31 national TB associations; and the work continues today.
In 2020, an estimated 10 million people fell ill and 1.4 million died worldwide, and TB is present in all countries and age groups.
The Christmas Seal & Charity Stamp Society's own Governor and Director at Large, Dr. Dean Schraufnagel, MD, is past board member of both the IUAT (now called the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease IUATLD), and the American Lung Association.
From 1905-1915, Dr. Livingston Trudeau was the first President of the, then National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis, whose goal was making free clinics available in every city and county for examination and treatment. Trudeau's own struggle against TB prompted him to build a sanatorium in 1884 at Saranac Lake, NY, which was featured on the 1934 Christmas Seal.
In 2008, Trudeau was honored on a US postage stamp (proposed by The Christmas Seal & Charity Stamp Society's own Governor and Director at Large, Dr. Dean Schraufnagel, MD).
The first Managing Director, who served from 1904-1914, was Dr. Livingston Farrand, who guided the Association thru it's infancy to a healthy and flourishing existence. He continued to fight TB, and in 1921 became the fourth president of Cornell University.
Dr. Charles J. Hatfield was the second Managing Director of the NTA from 1914-1922, during a period of expansion and development of it's affiliate associations. Illustrated here with his staff, possibly in 1920 when the Association split from the American Red Cross, and became the "National Tuberculosis Association".
Dr. Linsly Williams, the NTA's third Managing Director from 1922-1928 applied business principles which resulted in continued growth. Before serving in the NTA, he ran the Rockefeller Foundation's efforts to reduce tuberculosis in France, and was awarded the French Legion of Honor.
In 1928 Dr. Kendall Emerson became the fourth Managing Director of the NTA. Seen here with Miss Emily Bissell, designer and promoter of the first US Christmas Seal. Emerson continued serving till 1947 and thru education, mass X-ray testing, and antibiotics, he helped transform TB from a public health threat, to a manageable, curable disease.
Our Christmas Seal collections are testaments of the achievements of the Volunteer Health Movement.
TB Health clowns worked during the Golden Era of child TB education in America; the late teen's thru early twenties. Proper care was extending the lives of the afflicted, but a real cure wouldn't come until after WW2. Note the similar TB Clown names with distinct spelling difference; Chew Chew in Minnesota, and Cho Cho who was affiliated with The Child Health Organization of America, NY, NY. Their "Rules for the Game" include cleanliness, excercise, fresh air, a good diet, and a daily morning bowel movement.
After nearly 100 years, this original US Christmas Seal art has come to light. George Vaughn Curtis designed four Christmas Seals; 1921, 1924, 1926, and 1929. Also included in the illustration are 2 essays, or proposed but rejected designs for 1924, and 1929. The 1924 essay is known as the Scalloped Cape, and the 1929 essay is known as the Yellow Jacket.
With an international reputation as a painter, Curtis works appear in galleries in America and abroad. The National Tuberculosis Association employed many fine artists in the development of their Christmas Seals, but none collaborated for more years than Curtis.
Family historian, Mark Hildebrand, great grandson of the artist's wife, is researching how Curtis became involved working for the NTA. Curtis' nephew Basil Eaves, as well as Basil's father George were deeply involved in the crusade against tuberculosis in Alabama. These men may have sought Curtis' help in designing Christmas Seals for the National Tuberculosis Association.
In what appeared to be an attempt to re-create the success of the Cabbage Patch doll, the American Lung Association in 1985 created Kristy Koala, a stuffed toy manufactured by Emotions, a division of the Mattel Toy Company, Inc. Of course, we collectors can't be sure which came first, the Christmas Seal featuring the toy, or the toy that appeared on the Christmas Seals. Either way, Kristy may be the first and only Christmas Seal stuffed toy, and first appeared on Greens #1985 T12 design experiment. Design experiment Christmas Seals first appeared in 1979, and since 1981, almost without exception our Nationally used Christmas Seal was selected from a previous year design experiment, with one notable difference being the date. the 1986 National Christmas Seal was selected from that 1985 T12 design experiment and Kristy Koala was also was featured on the 1986 Silver foil, 1986 Spanish, and 1986 T4 design experiment. Collectors only became aware of the 1985 T12 design experiment after the other design experiments were released that year, and is a scarce item indeed. Kristy, the plush toy was available for a $25 donation through the ALA. I happened upon some in clearance at the J C Penny outlet in Columbus Ohio in the late 1980's, and recognized them as the treasure they are.
Created July 30th, 2017 they are now 383 members strong. CS&CSS member Brian McInturff is the creator and Admin since its inception. A private Facebook group, so you must apply for membership. An incredible resource of images and information, with many collectors ready to answer your Christmas Seal questions. I feel like I have dropped the ball, and should have known about this group and reported on it much earlier.
Their mission:
For the discussion of all types of Christmas Seals. Locals, U.S., Foreign, Private, and Red Cross. Not only the seals but anything from paraphernalia to ephemera including posters, displays, pins, toys, flyers, etc.
Hoping to further the advancement of Christmas Seal collecting and the Christmas Seal and Charity Stamp Society.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/376276439454627
