Going Postal

Going postal brings us on a journey through postal history and stories of postage stamps as recounted by the collection of the Royal Museum for Central Africa and pieces from private collections. In these pages, the reader sees how a postage stamp is made, from the original design to the sheets distributed in post offices, with glimpses at the work of artists, painters, graphic designers, engravers, and colourists. This catalogue considers the specifics of stamp collections as well as developments in philately up to the present day. Through postage stamps with their proofs and preparatory drawings, and through the letters upon which these stamps were affixed, we see a (hi)story that places Belgium at the heart of the world and the world at the heart of Belgium. These two square centimetres herald the plethora of exchanges we see today on mobile phones and social networks, and their art reminds us of the persuasion, urgency, emotion, curiosity, and familiarity that govern human relations.