The stamps feature Marianne, the symbol of Republican France, wearing the traditional Phrygian cap, also known as a liberty cap. She symbolizes the attachment of common citizens of the revolution to the Republic: Marianne is liberté, égalité, fraternité.
The designer was Edmund Dulac (1882–1953), using Lea, wife of Dulac’s friend Émile Rixens, as a model. This design is known as “Marianne de Dulac” or, since it was designed in London while the Free French government was in exile during World War II, “Marianne de Londres.”
Perforation is comb 14¾ x 14, and printing is photogravure. The surtax was for the French Red Cross and national relief.
