10 January 2020
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An eight-stamp Jersey Artists set from Jersey Post showcases the work of French surrealist Claude Cahun, who lived on Jersey during the Second World War.
Born Lucie Renee Mathilde Schwob, Claude made a name for herself by creating some of the most original and enigmatic photographic images of the twentieth century.
This stamp issue features eight of Claude’s photographs, showcasing her work over the decades. The 80p stamp carries the logo of SEPAC, the Small European Postal Administration Co-Operation, and forms part of a joint stamp issue entitled Art in the National Collection. The issue was prepared with the assistance of Jersey Heritage Trust, whose collection represents the largest repository of Claude’s and her partner Marcel Moore’s work and has been described by Jersey Heritage as one of the Island’s ‘great cultural assets.’ Since 1995, the collection has been featured in over 50 exhibitions around the world.
Claude Cahun and the island of Jersey
Claude’s links with Jersey are strong, beginning In 1937 when she moved to Jersey with her partner, Marcel. The pair were imprisoned for activities in the resistance during the Occupation and in 1944 were sentenced to death for creating and disseminating anti-Nazi poetry, artwork and writings, which they slipped into the pockets and cigarette packets of German soldiers whilst disguised as a pair of elderly sisters.
Claude lived in Jersey until her death in 1954 and is buried in St Brelade’s Church in the west of the Island. A commemorative plaque can be found on the side of La Rocquaise, the house in which she lived.
For more on the stamps of Jersey, visit the Jersey Stamps website.