Devil is in the Details

This cover looks like a somewhat typical civil war period Republican cover franked with five 50c Matrona blue #753 and a 25c  #749G postmarked from Madrid on March 22, 1939 to Sete France. 

Though it has interesting franking with the attractive Matronas it is the postmark date and the city of origin that really caught my eye. It is that March 22, 1939 was less than a week from the fall of Madrid to Francoist forces on March 28^th, 1939. Yes, less than a week. 

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The Republicans attempted to negotiate a surrender of Madrid but Franco insisted on an unconditional surrender. On March the 26^th, Nationalist were ordered to advance in to Madrid and on the 27^th  Republican front collapsed, on the 28^th Madrid fell to the Nationalists and then on April 1st, 1939 Franco declared the end of the war. The backstop indicates it arrived in Sete on March 31st, 1939. It is conceivable that the letter was delivered to the receiver on April 1st.

What happened to the sender after the fall? Was the receiver a refugee? Still looking for a cover post marked on the first day and the last day of the war.

Margaritaville

When we hear the word Margarita we think of the delicious drink of the same name or the song Margaritaville that once in your head is almost impossible to get out. No today we are going to look at the Carlist women’s group the Margaritas. I haven’t reviewed what is Carlismo yet but it will be the subject of an eventual post. In a nutshell Carlists are those Spaniards that wanted to place the Bourbon Don Carlos, Count of Molina (1788-1855) on the throne of Spain. Herein lies the issue-a Bourbon dynasty already sat on the throne, the Alfonsine line.

The Margaritas were a Carlist women’s organization named after the wife of Carlos, Duke of Madrid (Carlos VII 1868-1909), Margarita of Bourbon-Parma born April 28th, 1867 and passing on April 28th, 1894 without having children. Margarita served as a nurse during the Second Carlist War. Yes, wars were actually fought over this.

Don’t worry there are still this line’s claimants to the Spanish throne and to make it more confusing there are competing Bourbon lines apart from the current Spanish King.

Founded in 1919 for the purpose of aiding poor Carlist families. The organization during the Second Republic acted as evangelical Carlists with the aim of rallying supports to the cause.  They did this by meetings in homes, hosting musical evenings, and conducting religious acts. The white beret (see above in the banner for the male red beret of the Carlists) wearing Margaritas served, most often, as war nurses during the war but they also brought supplies-food and clothing to their Carlist militia (Requetés) men at the front. At home they conducted traditional tasks such as knitting and household and farm tasks. The Margaritas in their ordinance (above) described the ideal Margarita as “an example of Spanish woman, intrepid defender of the Christian family, vigilant guardian of the traditions of the patris’, the defenders of the faith on the home front."

The male Requetés are well represented in political labels and covers. When this cover came up on the Bay for a reasonable opening bid-I jumped. Apparently only I did as I was the only bidder. I suspect those that looked at it didn't bother checking out the second image-that of the back of the cover.

The letter was mailed on February 26, 1937 from  the northern Spanish city of Victoria which is the capital city of the Basque Autonomous Community and of the province of Araba (Basque)/Álava (Spanish).  The letter is franked with a 30c Edifil #823 and a 10c blue Cruzada Contra del Frío Edifil #7, sealed with a Heller Salamanca censor tape #S 7 11 and addressed to a Jesuit in Salamanca.

The back of the cover is what drew me to it. Since I don't have the Allepuz volume of locals that cover Alava I can't give a number. However, it is an attractive rectangle in dark blue with Alava, Margaritas, Requetes, and 25 centimos label over the flap of the letter with a center featuring a shield with the normal Requetés cross in white instead of red and a daisy (Margarita) at the center.

A really interesting item and label that I haven't come across before or since.

Business Must Go On

I don’t have much to say about this post card that I picked up a while ago-except to say, that I am somewhat shocked that in the midst of a conflict with the Nationalists whom of course were supported by the Germans there would be correspondence between the Nazi German capital and Republican Barcelona.

I think this is an inter library loan card mailed on March 25th, 1937 from Berlin (Bibliothek Der Sternwarte Berlin-Babelsberg) to the Academic Library of Science and Arts in Barcelona. The bibliothek was the Berlin Observatory’s library.

A Most Unusual Cover

I was going to continue writing on the Second Republic transition and República Española overprints period, but I picked up this “cover” recently and it may be one of the most unusual items I have run across. It is a small envelope, not unlike those we use at some parks where you place the parking fee in it and deposit in a park ranger slot.

The small envelope was used to for doses of cowpox anti-serum. The envelope’s return address was Laboratorio SERAS, Oriente, 7-Sevilla. It is indicated the cost of two doses of anti-cowpox vaccination was 3 ptas with stamps included. The front has a date stamp of 9 Feb, 1937

On the reverse are two stamps-one a bisected 30c Edifil #823 (can’t tell if is a variety) and a 5c. Edifil #816Aa sepia with 10mm imprint. Both stamps are overprinted with a hand stamp 9, Feb1937. I am not sure if this was sent through the post thought I doubt it as there is no regulation postal mark.

What do we know about Laboratorio SERAS. This lab was an important lab for producing rabies, and cowpox for example. The lab was founded by Dr. Antonio de Seras y González, a native of Huelva, was trained at the Pasteur Institute in Paris.  Following his training he moved to Sevilla where he eventually took over the Provincial Institute of Hygiene in 1896. During the war the he was persecuted for being a Mason,

“The case of Antonio de Seras, doctor, veterinarian and Sevillian mason, is very illustrative. His son, of the same name, remembers how his father was saved from being shot "because Queipo de Llano was a close friend of the family". Even so, like many, he had to live in the interior exile of the outlaw: "They took away the presidency of the College of Veterinarians and I remember how I went with him to the police station, where he had to show up every week because he was forbidden to leave Seville," he recalls. Antonio "My father died when I was a student, and he was always very reserved to talk about these things but I remember that when my mother and he celebrated their silver wedding they could not repeat their honeymoon because they did not give him a passport; that hurt him a lot and he never forgot ", he concludes. The price of being different in a Spain painted with blood and a single stroke law.”

 (https://www.redaccionmedica.com/la-revista/reportajes/medico-y-perseguido-en-la-guerra-civil-3073)

An ad from ABC Sevilla April 24, 1937

The Laboratorio I believe still exists

An Interim Cover

The Second Spanish Republic was declared on April 14, 1931 however the first stamps issued by the new republic didn’t begin to be issued until May 23rd, which left about a five-week period when the previous regime’s stamps were utilized.

As I indicated in my previous post I enjoy the Second Republic overprints on the last Alfonso XIII definitive issue, the Vaquer type. In fact, I believe the Vaquer issue is one of the most attractive issued by Spain or elsewhere.

Franked with one 5c. (Edifil #491) and two 50c. (Edifil #498) this registered/certified cover night section postmark dated May 18th falls within the transition period.  The rear is sealed with a Casa De Galvez wax seal.

40c for letter rate to country not part of the Spanish Postal Union
25c for extra 20 grams
40c. for certified mail
for a total 1.05 pesetas

The legendary and very important philatelic businessman Miguel Gálvez sent this cover to Swiss philatelic publisher Zumstein in Bern. There is a cover in Tomo 1 of Edifi’s Red Series on page 295 from the same M. Galvez. During the war he and his wife fled to Belgium to start a branch of their company that lasted until the 1950s.

A love Affair, or Sorts

I am drawn to the Second Republic's República Española overprinted Alfonso XIII definitive series. They are a good look at the transition from monarchy to Republic played out via stamps. Interesting enough but the covers are pretty reasonable and somewhat plentiful. I will be posting them from time to time.

This registered and certified cover dated 12/3/1931 from oil exporter “Laesa” in Barcelona to Paris is franked with 5 República Española overprinted Alfonso XIII Vaquer definitives.

Two 5c. (Edifil #544), two 15c. (Edifil #596), and one 40c. (Edifil #600). The total franking is 80c. This franking covers the initial rate for business papers up to 250p in value and 50grams of weight (10c.), the 30c. registration fee for value up to 300 gold francs, and 40c. for international medical/samples and/or papers up to 20grams which includes the cost of certification.

The reverse as you can see has 5 wax seals with the impression "Laesa" with a DuPont oval hand stamp.  I assume, safely, of a relationship between the two. Functio laesa is a term used in medicine to refer to a loss of function which I assume improving said function loss is the purpose of Laesa products.

The receiver was the Société Anonyme de Vilbis. This is a limited liability firm that I believe is connected to or with the DeVilbiss Corporation which has its roots beginning in 1888 in Toledo, OH. Dr. Allen DeVilbiss developed a spray atomizer which made spraying medicines to patients throats much easier. Which probably utilized some sort of oil or oils.

Here is an image from an invoice from the war from Laesa (borrowed from Google).

Francisco Ferrer

Yes, I know I haven’t posted in several weeks. I haven’t felt like writing. No Surprise when you spend 8 hours a day in front of a computer screen, of course that doesn’t mean the pick-ups have slowed down. Recently, I thought about how to branch out in an interesting manner since SPCW items are not always easy to find that meet my needs. I am some what fascinated by Alfonso XIII, the last Spanish king, and I was trolling the online auction house that starts with an E and came across a unused post card for the whopping price of $3 free shipping. Sold, so what was the post card that tweaked my interest? Well I could have done some research before I purchased but for $3 it was worth picking up then figuring out what the subject is.

Francisco Ferrer, you may have asked yourself from time to time who was Francisco Ferrer? Probably not, but he was a big thing in the first decade of the 20th century among the radical clique. Wiki tells us a lot about him. He was born on January 10, 1859 on a farm near Barcelona. Though his parents were very dedicated Catholics he became an anti-clerical radical free thinker and rejected his parents religion. He was active in radical actions and supporting the Republican movement, which in 1885 led him to take part in a failed Republican uprising, which forced him in to exile in France for 16 years. He then began to explore anarchism, which led him to open a libertarian school when he returned to Spain in 1901. This school was the Escuela Moderna in Barcelona.

The Escuela Moderna’s curriculum was an alternative to the religious schools, which had a monopoly on education. The school taught new scientific, historical, and sociological content not offered elsewhere. In 1901 when the school opened there were more than 30 students and when the Spanish government closed the school in 1906 there were more than 126. The school charged based on parent’s ability to pay, and the school-rejected rewards and punishments-no grades no exams and students planned their own work and there was no attendance tracked.

I am not going much into his politics but it will suffice to say that he received no break from the policeria and his home was often raided and he was generally hassled.  He was a threat to the government, the church, and the military-the trifecta.

In 1906 there was an assassination attempt on Alfonso XIII but the actual waanabee assassin was an anarchist that had worked at the school. As a result he was in prison until 1907 when international pressure forced his release.  Fast forward to August 1909 when he was rearrested for “participation” in the “Tragic Week “ uprising Barcelona.

Unfortunately, Francisco would be executed on October 13, 1909, as a result supposedly his last words before the firing squad killed him was "Aim well, my friends. You are not responsible. I am innocent. Long live the Modern School!"

OK, now we are getting there-but it wouldn’t make any sense to explain the postcard without the background.

The postcard is brown and portrays a Spanish priest and a Spanish officer marching over two bodies one of which is Liberty. At the top is says “The Masters of Spain Sabre et Goupillon Dios, Patria, y Rey (Early Spanglish). I translated Goupillon and it means bottlebrush in French-perhaps a reference to the mustache.

At the bottom is says “Liberty Under Foot in Spain by Church and State” with various military and church items.

At the bottom it has “Published by Francisco Ferrer Ass’n 242 5th Ave, New York” (Google Earth gives us the address as it is now) and the reverse is standard and has no relevant text.

So I searched for this association. The association was founded in NY in 1910 as a reaction to his execution the year before. The association was founded by anarchists and was headquartered at the Ferrer Center and it also contained a school. In 1914 the school, or as then known as the Ferrer Colony, moved to Stelton, NJ.