King Alfonso XIII, 1898-99 'Cadet' Definitive

Spain · 1898 · 15c

This definitive stamp features a portrait of the young King Alfonso XIII as a boy, facing left. Known as the 'Cadet' issue, it was part of a long-running series depicting the monarch at various stages of his youth during the regency of his mother, Maria Christina of Austria.

Issued during the Spanish–American War of 1898, this stamp represents a period of significant political turmoil and the end of the Spanish Empire's colonial power in the Americas.