Focusing on five European countries, this book explores the role that stamps play in shaping and reflecting national identity and the way they reflect the fundamental design developments within their period. It reveals how national icons evolve and how commemmorative issues reflect fundamental design as well as creative concerns. It also highlights the role of the stamp designers, showing how many famous artists, including M.C. Escher, Hans Erne, Edmund Doulac, David Gentleman and Eric Gill, have contributed to the development of stamp design. A whole chapter is devoted to the design of British and French colonial issues.