What about Professor Richard Sarrinsch?

This professor's name has stayed with me since I was young. The reason? He was the stamp designer of one of the most beautiful series of stamps I came across as a 12-year-old boy in my father's stockbooks. The stamps of Latvia, for that was one of my father's collecting areas, always made me curious, because many of the stamps were printed on the back of German military maps from the First World War, on writing paper with blue lines, on very thin cigarette paper, and on unfinished banknotes. It was quite a challenge to try to reconstruct such a military map or banknote using a number of stamps. Like this example of a 10-Ruble banknote, prepared by the military leadership of the West Russian Volunteer Army under the command of Colonel Prince Pavel Bermondt-Avalov. But the stamps also appealed to me. The design of the 10 Kapeken stamp, issued on November 18, 1919, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the independent Republic of Latvia, featuring an image of a young woman. A sword in her hand, a headdress with three stars. In an old catalogue, I found the name of the designer, and I searched the library for more information. However, nothing could be found there about Prof. Richard Sarrinsch. So, they went looking for books about him in other libraries. Eventually, I was able to borrow three books in which this professor was written about. But, well, making a copy was not an option back then, and the notes I made at the time have been lost. Now the internet offers a solution. Quite quickly, I had a portrait of the professor and also his life story. He was born on June 27, 1869, in the small town. Vidzeme and studied in St Petersburg where he obtained his diploma at the Stieglitz Central Art School for Technical DrawingHe studied lithographic art in Berlin, Munich, and Vienna. In Paris, he also studied painting. Back in Russia, from 1905 onwards, he became technical director of the Imperial Printing Offices. He designed his first ex libris in 1905, depicting a young woman wearing a headdress with three stars. In 1919, he returned to his native Latvia. There, he became director of the State Printing Office. In this capacity, he designed various series of stamps, as well as coins and banknotes. The 5 Lat coin depicts the head of a young woman wearing a headdress with three stars…. The 10 kapeken stamp was also issued in a smaller format on November 18, 1919, together with a 35 kapeken stamp and a 1 Ruble stamp. The image depicts Free Latvia with 1918 November 18, 1919, within an oak wreath. On December 16, 1919, a new series of stamps designed by Sarrinsch appeared, now featuring an image of the Dragon Slayer. This was symbolically intended to celebrate the liberation of Kurland from the occupier, the army of Bermondt-Avalov. Between November 1920 and February 1921, four of the previously issued stamps were overprinted with a new value indication. Sarrinsch designed even more stamps, including those for Finland and Russia. His most famous design is arguably the Russian stamp depicting the chain breaker, a sword cutting through a chain. Professor Sarrinsch retired in early 1934. He died on April 21, 1939.