A long time ago, I found the electronic copy of the Johnson book and some others that were used to make a few Liberian stamps. I captured some pictures that looked like they were used for stamp designs, or used for an idea of a stamp design. I thought I should share these. Some themes were used many times… like village or building scenes.
The photo below showing a "Vai princess" was obviously used for Scott #39 et al.:
According to the guys who sell this reproduction on eBay the original is part of the American Colonization Society Collection and was created/published ca. 1895 .... three years after the stamp was issued? Well, the photo of this Vai girl (not necessarily a "princess") can also be found in vol. 2 of Johann Büttikofer's classic work "Travel Sketches from Liberia", which was published in 1890. I would like to repeat what I already said in my book recommendation: this book is a true classic and a must-read!
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According to the guys who sell this reproduction on eBay the original is part of the American Colonization Society Collection and was created/published ca. 1895 .... three years after the stamp was issued?
Well, the photo of this Vai girl (not necessarily a "princess") can also be found in vol. 2 of Johann Büttikofer's classic work "Travel Sketches from Liberia", which was published in 1890. I would like to repeat what I already said in my book recommendation: this book is a true classic and a must-read!