In 1881, according to C.W. Fawdry (1962), the contract for the design of this first set of postage stamps was awarded to Waterlow and Sons of London. They were bidding against De La Rue for the honor of being the first printers of Thai stamps. In their official centenary book by Williams, L.N.&M. (1952), Waterlow affirm that ‘the designs (of the Solot) were simple and the workmanship of the highest order.” This is an understatement. Many experts have designated the Solot as one of the finest stamps ever issued. Moreover, the concept and design of this stamp were both simple and perfect, resulting in a stunning masterpiece that has withstood the test of time.
The Solot series was designed around a central bust profile of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) facing left. His Majesty King Chulalongkorn’s adopted profile was sent to Waterlow & Sons Ltd in the U.K. probably in 1881. The task of designing Thailand’s first stamp was attributed to one of the finest engravers of the time, the renowned William Ridgeway. He had already acquired a reputation for being both fast and skilled. He had just turned around a successful stamp engraving for St. Vincent in under a month. Ridgeway was aware of the historical importance of his task as is evidenced by the two early designs he retained in his personal effects. In the concept stage, Ridgeway set to work painting the stamp using watercolors. In his initial design, which he designated as illustration no. 1, the hair was lighter and both the circular medal on the epaulet were flatter and more imprecise. In his second essay, he painted the hair darker and added more shading and relief to his design. As can be now witnessed by studying the specimens in the Sam Sen Nai Philatelic Museum of Bangkok, the first sketch was on plain white card stock, while illustration no.2 was on India paper. Once the stamp’s central concept had been worked up to the artist’s satisfaction, Ridgeway proceeded to remove the die of the king’s lined facial pattern in such a manner as to be easily engraved onto a steel plate. The second part of the design process was the production of the frame. As was the case of the head, the frame was also painted by hand using watercolors. For illustrative purposes, Ridgeway’s frame indicated the value of one Salung at the top of his first frame. This particular design is also displayed at Sam Sen Nai Philatelic Museum. It was not subsequently adopted. The only two artist hand-painted die proofs that survived are the blue Sik and the vermilion Fueang. Once the procedure of making colored hand-painted die proof was finished, the design was engraved in reverse on a steel plate that would become the die. |
Color Proofs
The master die of His Majesty’s adopted profile was designed by William Ridgeway in 1881. It was used to print die proofs. The die proofs below are single designs taken from the Master Die. These are usually single stamps. The majority of these proofs are courtesy of the Prasert Tongbua collection.
The Salung Die Proof on Thin Paper and Thicker Woven Paper
Fueang Master Die Proof on Thin Paper
The plate proofs are trial impressions from the plate to detect and correct defects prior to production. These are usually multiple stamps, but many have been cut into singles. The plate proofs were printed in different trial colors onto thin paper, thicker woven paper and card. The color plate proofs known from the shared collections today are included in the following.
The Solot Proofs
The Att and Sio Proofs |
There are 4 known colors of the Solot proof: Dark brown, dull-brown and dark blue. Most have been cut down into single stamps. The most common is the imperforate example. According to Fawdry, Plate 2 has a hinged oval for the value.
Opposite: Solot Plate 1 Proof Imperf in Dark Blue There are two colors of the Att and the Sio proofs: Dark brown and dark grey. They exist in both imperforate and perforate forms. The Att is the rarest of the two. According to Harold Row, the Sio, Att and Solot were printed in that order together in dark brown on a brown paper strip sheet from the original die (see below).
Opposite: The Att & Sio Perforated & Imperforated Proofs in Dark Brown |
The three first values printed together on thin paper (cf. Harold Rowe)
The Sik Proofs
Sik Shades of Blue Imperf
Sik Customer Specimen Card
Sik Colour Trial Block in Blue
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There are three known colors of the Sik proof plates: Prussian blue, green and dull brick red. The blue proof is more commonly found. These proofs exist in both imperforate and perforate forms. The specimen card on pale blue paper card is rarer than singles or pairs. Some of the miniature sheets are overprinted with the printer’s name and address: “Waterlow & Sons Ltd, Great Winchester Street, London.”
Sik Imperforated Plate Proof in Green
Sik Perforated Plate Proof in Blue
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The Salung Proofs
Salung Customer Specimen Cards
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There are at least ten colors of the Salung proof plate. As in all these proof plates, the stamps can be found both in perforated and imperforated formats. Some proofs have the words ‘Cancelled” or the name on the printer overprinted vertically or diagonally on the stamp.
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Salung Color Trials
The Fueang Proofs
There are six colors of the Fueang proof plate: Dark Grey, violet, magenta, dull crimson, orange-vermilion and green. As in all these proof plates, the stamps can be found both in perforated and imperforated formats. At least three specimen card complete collections exist. One is in the British Museum.
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Fueang Color Proofs in Various Shades