France, Ceres Issue, 20 Centimes Blue

France · 1849 · 20c

This stamp features a left-facing profile of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, wearing a garland of wheat and grapes. The design, created by Jacques-Jean Barre, is framed by a simple border with the denomination '20 C.' at the bottom and 'REPUB FRANC' at the top. This was one of the first postage stamps issued by France.

Issued by the Second French Republic, the Ceres series marked France's entry into the postal reform movement that began with Great Britain's Penny Black. These stamps standardized postage rates across the country.