Portugal Ceres Issue, Horta Overprint

Portugal · 1912 · 2½c

This stamp features the classic 'Ceres' design, an allegorical representation of agriculture and prosperity from Roman mythology. It is overprinted with 'HORTA' in red for use in the Horta district of the Azores. The original Ceres stamps were Portugal's first republican issue, replacing monarchist symbols.

Following the 1910 revolution that established the First Portuguese Republic, new stamps were needed. The Ceres design became an iconic symbol of the new era, with various overprints used for different administrative districts like Horta in the Azores.