The Chagall Window Issue. Chronology September 17, 1961: Secretary General Dag Hammerskjöld and fifteen UN staff members were killed in a plane crash.

The Chagall Window Issue

Chronology• September 17, 1961: Secretary

General Dag Hammerskjöld and fifteen UN staff members were killed in a plane crash in Northern Rhodesia.

• Funds were raised for a memorial• September 17, 1964: the Peace

Window was unveiled. • 1967: A stamp and souvenir sheet

showing the window was releasedThe collection assembled by Jack

Mayer became the definitive collection, serving as the information source for philatelic references.

Chagall’s 1963 monotype Peace served as the preliminary study for the final design of the UN stained glass window. The blue background appears to rotate with many of the same designs and themes that eventually appeared in the window.

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”

-- Isaiah XI:6

The window itself measures 12’ x 15’ and was photographically reduced to 81mm x 131 mm.

Light black positive transparencyUnique

Colour composite positive transparency missing light black

Unique

In the window, Marc Chagall sought to express the simplicity and beauty of the ideals of beach and brotherhood for which the United Nations was founded. Figures of young children are shown with angelic faces. Symbols of law appear on the right side while temptation appears below in the form of a snake. Above can be seen motherhood and the world’s people struggling for peace.

Original photographic essay of design in colours darker than the final versionUnique

Photographer Hans Richard Lippman was selected to photograph the original window for the offset lithographic printing process. Complex scheduling was required to ensure that proper lighting was available to reflect the colour intensities with the final shoot occurring mid-morning.

Official First Day Cover Signed by Hans Richard Lippman, photographer

Proposed 5c Issue

Unissued souvenir sheetUnique

Proposed 5c Issue

Artist model(photographs mounted on art board with simulated perfs drawn in gouache)

Unique

PaperA bright fluorescent paper of 100% softwood bleached sulfite is used for this issue. The coating on the printed side is of a clay starch variety. Fluorescence varies depending on the shade of paper, coating, and chemical brighteners used. Weight of the paper varies from .0040” to .0065” with an average thickness of .00525”.

ColourA four-colour print process (yellow, red, blue, and black) with half-tones was used.

Magnification 90 times shows the dots of colour and the angles at which they have been screened. The obvious “white defects” are minute imperfections caused by paper coating and/or lint in the printing process

Colour Shift

Missing Colour

Cutting

Day of Issue: Nov 17, 1967 One postal clerk used an October 24 date stamp for a portion of the first day.

Different cover cachets for New York & Geneva as well as souvenir sheets and single stamp.

Official U.N. Geneva office FDC with Marc Chagall original signature.

Single Stamp IssueThe single stamp issue uses the design section “Kiss of Peace” from the main design.

The final issue shows the new 6c rate taking effect in the U.S.

Postal Usages