Monday, January 18, 2010

Faux Postage Mermaid Stamps/ Lore of the Dolphins





"THE SISTERS OF THE SEA"
Delphys Royal Post Office
2003
by Eric Whollem
edition of 100, plus ten artist's proofs
set of two stamps: 3 and 7 pythias
67 x 87 mm.
Copyright by the artist.

NOTES ON THE PINK RIVER DOLPHINS

The pink dolphin appearing on the 3p (3 pythia) stamp
above is no idle fancy, but reflects an actual species of
river dolphins that swim the Amazon River.

A Cinderella Stamp From Delphys, A Land of Mermaids






"MELUSINE"
Royal Post Office of Delphys
2001
by Eric Whollem
edition of 100, plus ten artist's proofs
67 x 87 mm.
Copyright by the artist.


THE LEGEND OF MELUSINE

Melusine is a serpent-tailed mermaid from medieval French folklore.
She was daughter of the King of Albania, but married a French lord,
who took her to wife on condition that he would never view her in
her bath on Saturdays.

A Mermaid and Dolphin Stamp/ Faux Postage From Delphys








"FAIRY EMPRRESS OF THE DOLPHINS"
Royal Post Office of Delphys
2003
by Eric Whollem
edition of 100, plus ten artist's proofs
67 x 84 mm.
Copyright by the artist.


This stamp shows Persephone XXXIII, Mermaid Empress of Delphys, enthroned on the back of her
prime minister.

Most of the courtiers of Delphys are of good Dolphin stock, of old families
descended from Poseidon and Cleito of Altantis.

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Artist stamps, artistamps, cinderella stamps, fantasy stamps, faux postage, mail art, micronation stamps by
Eric Whollem.

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Faux Postage From the Micronation of Delphys






MAP OF THE KINGDOM OF DELPHYS
Copyright by the artist.

Stamps from the Royal Post Office of Delphys
APPROVED BY THE PARLIAMENT OF THE NEREIDS
by Eric Whollem, Postmaster General of Delphys

Delphys is a nation whose boundaries are
indeterminate by terrestrial standards, as
they are said to be floating and subject
 to distribution and rearrangement by
 the action of the tides.

The capital city is Cetacea.


Coinage is commonly referred to as the
"sinker," although properly speaking, one
hundred Pythias equals one Erichthonios.

Delphys frequently honors the classical
stamps of Atlantis on her postal issues,
as demonstrated by the commemoratives
in this collection.

Although Atlantis has issued postage
stamps for the last ten thousand years,
Delphys is a more modern nation,
having a mere three thousand years
of official existance.

Currently Persephone XXXIII is Empress
of Delphys; she conducts the Chorus of
the Naiads when not engaged in executive
labor.


"BIRD PEOPLE"
by Eric Whollem
2004
edition of 100, plus ten artist's proofs
80 x 64 mm.
Copyright by the artist.

This stamp is based on a drawing done in 1974 in Feather Falls, California.
The color stamp seen above was designed thirty years later.

Delphys is one of Eric's micronations, or "phantom" countries.
A "phantom cinderella" is a non-postally valid stamp created
for the pleasure of artistic creativity.

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Artist stamps, artistamps, cinderella stamps, fantasy stamps, faux postage, mail art, micronation stamps by Eric Whollem

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