Fridtjof Nansen - 150th Birth Anniversary

Deutsche Post came out with a special postmark to celebrate 150th Birth Anniversary of Fridtjof Nansen (1861 - 1930) - a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In his youth a champion skier and ice skater, he led the team that made the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, and won international fame after reaching a record northern latitude of 86°14′ during his North Pole expedition of 1893–96. Although he retired from exploration after his return to Norway, his techniques of polar travel and his innovations in equipment and clothing influenced a generation of subsequent Arctic and Antarctic expeditions.

The ship in the postmark is the 'Fram' - a ship that was used in expeditions of the Arctic and Antarctic regions by the Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup, Oscar Wisting, and Roald Amundsen between 1893 and 1912. It was designed and built by the Norwegian shipwright Colin Archer for Fridtjof Nansen's 1893 Arctic expedition in which Fram was supposed to freeze into the Arctic ice sheet and float with it over the North Pole.

Fram is said to have sailed farther north (85°57'N) and farther south (78°41'S) than any other wooden ship. Fram is currently preserved at the Fram Museum in Oslo, Norway.

Many thanks to dear Friend, Wolfgang Beyer, Germany for sending me an envelope with this memorable postmark.

Text Source: Wikipedia

The Long Leg (1935) - by Edward Hopper

Date of Issue: August 24, 2011

Edward Hopper (1882 – 1967) was a prominent American realist painter and printmaker. While most popularly known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching. In both his urban and rural scenes, his spare and finely calculated renderings reflected his personal vision of modern American life.

The Long Leg (1935) - Few American artists are as popular or influential as Edward Hopper, whose beautiful, sunlit painting, The Long Leg, is the tenth entry in the American Treasures series. The work's title refers to sailing; a leg is one part of an alternating, zigzagging series of short and long tacks.

This painting shows Hopper's characteristic use of light to insulate objects, and reflects his love of the sea as well as his interest in architecture. The lighthouse in the painting is Long Point Light, at Provincetown. The boat is a "Knockabout" sloop, a type of craft commonly used for sailing, cruising, and fishing.

Thanks to friend, Chris Schofield, Canada for sending me this stamp on envelope.

Text Source: Wikipedia, USPS.com

SS Salier - special postmark

Displayed here is a special postmark issued for 125 years of German Naval and Marine Post, showing SS Salier, built in 1875 by Earle's Shipbuilding and Engineering Co.

On a voyage from Bremen to La Plata with passengers, SS Salier left Corunnna on the afternoon of December 7th, 1896, in rough weather. In the early hours of the 8th, in very heavy seas, the ship ran on to the Corona Reefs, Arosa Bay, and was wrecked with the loss of 281 lives, including Capt. Wempe.

Thanks to friend, Mr. Wolfgang Beyer, Germany for sending me this cover.

Text Source: wrecksite.eu

Card from Germany - Passat

Date of Issue: 02-06-2005

Passat - a German four-masted steel barque and one of the Flying P-Liners, the famous sailing ships of the German shipping company F. Laeisz. The name "Passat" means trade wind in German. She is one of the last surviving windjammers (A windjammer is the ultimate type of large sailing ship with an iron or for the most part steel hull, built to carry cargo in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Windjammers were the grandest of merchant sailing ships, with between three and five large masts and square sails, giving them a characteristic profile.

The windjammers were cargo ships designed for ultra-long voyages. They usually carried bulk cargo, such as lumber, guano, grain or ore from one continent to another, usually following the prevailing winds and circumnavigating the globe during their voyages. Several of these ships are still in existence — either as school ships, museum ships or restaurant ships.)

Thanks to Mechthild Heiduk, Germany for sending me this postcard.

Text source: Wikipedia