Virgin Islands St. Ursula

British Virgin Islands · 1866 · 1 Shilling

This classic stamp features a depiction of Saint Ursula, the legendary Christian martyr for whom the Virgin Islands were named by Christopher Columbus. She is shown standing, holding a lamp, surrounded by eleven smaller lamps representing the 11,000 virgins of her legend. The design is rendered in a striking rose-carmine color.

Issued during the reign of Queen Victoria, this was one of the first stamps from the British Virgin Islands. The design, created by the firm De La Rue in London, established a long-standing iconographic tradition for the colony's postage.