Royal Mail releases Darwin stamps

Thursday, 12 February 2009 2:52 PM

By politics.co.uk staff

Ten specially designed stamps have been released by the Royal Mail to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin.

Six stamps - released 150 years after the publication of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection - celebrate Darwin's achievements and his studies in zoology, botany, geology, ornithology and anthropology that led to his landmark theory of evolution.

The remaining four aim to build up a contemporary map of the Galapagos islands with pictures of the key species Darwin studied in the 1830s.

"Charles Darwin's ideas triggered a revolution in the understanding of how species evolve," said Julietta Edgar, head of special stamps at Royal Mail.

"The brilliance of his thinking is symbolised in the unique design of the stamps - the jigsaw shape suggest how Darwin was able to draw on his different areas of study to formulate groundbreaking new ideas."

Andrew Marr, president of the Galapagos Conservation Trust, added: "I believe Darwin is one of the most influential figures - and important scientists - the world has seen.

"It is a tremendous accolade to have a set of special stamps to honour his work and fitting that these should feature the Galapagos Islands that so inspired his thinking."

Royal Mail's Darwin 'jigsaw' stamps

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