Remarkable Veluwe emission: fauna falsification

Remarkable details can sometimes be mentioned regarding stamps as well, as was the case, for example, with the Veluwe issue in 2004 (nvph 2282/83). It was only when the sheets were in the shops that people discovered that of the eight animals depicted, only three actually live on the Veluwe! The fairytale-like illustrations (engravings) are taken from, among others, the eight-volume German standard zoological work. Brehm's Animal Life (1900). You have undoubtedly already noticed that a number of animals are depicted in mirror image on the stamps. Five animals cannot be found on the Veluwe at all (red point of interest). • A curly-bearded pig became the substitute for the wild boar; • A white-winged woodpecker replaced the great spotted woodpecker; • A four-horned antelope became the substitute for the roe deer, • A steppevos or Korsal replaced the fox; • A argalischaap stands for a mouflon that does not occur on the Veluwe. The design duo Linda Swaap & Rutger Vos: “We believe the engravings fit the atmosphere and character of the Veluwe well. We were very charmed by the quality and appearance of the illustrations, which matched our design very well.” TPG Post justifies the blunder: “We opted for beautiful images rather than a true-to-nature representation. It is about the universal character of the animals. Everyone can immediately see that it is a roe deer, red deer, fox, woodpecker, or wild boar. The type was not important; it is about the species!” Regarding this freedom of design, I do wonder: “Why not frankly admit the blunder? It shows character.” Squirrels, jays, and red deer *do* live on the Veluwe (green point of attention). The press extensively covered the fauna falsification or freedom of design at the time. Vincent Bijlo On July 24, 2004, in the Utrechts Nieuwsblad, even incorporated the 'misstep' into a fable. Animals express their displeasure regarding the Veluwe stamp issue in an original way.

Composition of Veluwe skin

The spatiality and vastness of the Veluwe, depicted with three transparent backdrops, was created by combining engravings and photographic images. The eight animals are positioned in front of, behind, between, and/or amidst transparent tricolored backdrops in the foreground (tree trunks, including those of the birch), middle section (foliage in the treetops), and/or background (forest edge vegetation). This space-creating, transparent, and vast landscape (composed using the collage technique) is visually appealing.

The fable of the beast's rage on the Veluwe

The animals on the Veluwe have had it completely with TPG Post. In a press release published last Saturday, they made it clear that they do not wish to cooperate in any way with any activities of the postal service whatsoever. The lively postal traffic between the animals themselves has already been outsourced to Westfalenpost, the German letter giant, which has recently also started handling messages in bottles. The reason for this drastic measure is the new series of stamps from TPG Post. At a press conference hastily organized on Saturday in Otterlo, a great spotted woodpecker spoke on behalf of the four affected animal species. “The management of TPG Post has not realized how shocking and painful what they have caused is,” declared the woodpecker. He was referring to the fact that the stamps feature four animal species that do not occur on the Veluwe. There is no spotted woodpecker up, but a white-winged woodpecker. No your, but one maikong, no wild boar, but a Malaysian bearded pig and no ree, but an Indian four-horned antelope.

“We are,” continued the woodpecker, “apparently not beautiful enough for the stamps. We are not worthy to adorn a letter or a card. We are apparently subtertiere. We will therefore—and I am terribly sorry to have to say this—file a complaint against the postal service. We cannot warn the world often enough to what this advancing fascist ideology can lead to. I need only mention two years to underscore this. I will not do so; you know very well yourself that I mean 1940 and 1945.” A barely audible fox added, in a voice choked with tears, that he felt like 'the Jew of the animal kingdom'. A wild boar grabbed the microphone and snapped at the assembled press that even the Islamic world treats pigs better than TPG Post. The great spotted woodpecker drummed the animals to order with his beak. “You understand,” he said, “that emotions are running very high in this matter. On behalf of the roe deer, who do not feel able to speak for themselves, I want to let you know that they feel seriously offended. You should never substitute a roe deer for an antelope. The roe deer is not an antelope at all. If it were, all cattle grids could be removed with immediate effect.” With that remark, the woodpecker garnered much support from the other, unaffected animal species present in large numbers that inhabit the Veluwe. An ovation of solidarity applause was his reward. The mosquitoes flapped their wings blue and the centipedes stomped as hard as they could on the damp forest floor. “If,” the angry woodpecker shouted above the commotion, “TPG Post does not decide to take these highly offensive stamps off the market, then I will personally smash all the mailboxes.” “And I will bite the postman to death,” shouted the fox. “The real boars wear uniforms,” bellowed the wild boar. And the roe deer said nothing; they just wandered aimlessly through the forest. They were very dejected. Some even hoped that a prince with a gun would soon arrive to put them out of their misery. The journalists rose from their tree stumps and walked to their cars. They were deeply impressed by the solidarity among the animals. A solidarity that is hardly found in the human world anymore.

Like a parable?

This fable, which criticizes a stamp issue in a decidedly unconventional way, lends the stamps an unexpectedly lively added value, as well as a higher attention value. These stamps stand head and shoulders above the rest. The 'exceptional' nature of both Veluwe sheets makes them 'appealing',話題-provoking, and striking stamps.