Iconografía Postal De La Cruz Roja Española 1864–1939
A new book titled Iconografía Postal De La Cruz Roja Española 1864-1939, written by Gabriel Camacho Rosales, was published by the Royal Hispanic Academy of Philately and Postal History (RAHFeHP). The 185-page book is classified as Vol. LV of the series Discurso Académicos.
Following the famous Battle of Solferino in 1859, Henry Dunant’s intervention, and the establishment of the International Red Cross in 1864 in Switzerland, national Red Cross societies began to emerge across the globe. One of the first to be established was in Spain, where the creation of iconography—and specifically, of postcards—began from the moment the remarkable institution came into being, continuing until 1939, the end of the Spanish Civil War.
The book offers a brief overview of iconography and the different levels within this fascinating discipline. Then, it presents a multitude of postal images, first created in the 19th century. All of them depict the distinctive symbol of the red cross with equal arms, set against a white background, established precisely at the foundation of this humanitarian movement.
The book also references the intervention of the Spanish Red Cross in various Spanish conflicts throughout the 19th century. In a second section devoted to the 20th century, it showcases images from the peacetime of King Alfonso XIII’s reign to the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), all of which saw the active involvement of the Spanish Red Cross.
In total, 360 full-colour images have been compiled, all different and possessing great visual appeal.
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