Indigenous art. No’s 277-295

All objects shown are from the collection of the Royal Museum of Central Africa (MRAC), Tervuren-Belgium. Its collection of ethnographic objects from Central Africa is the only one of its kind in the world. It also has in its keeping the entire archives of Henry Morton Stanley which are of great historical value. The Royal Museum for Central Africa came into being following the World Fair of 1897. As part of this prestigious event, and to arouse public interest in the Congo Free State, Léopold II organized an exhibition on the Congo, which was held in the “Palais des Colonies” in Tervuren. The overwhelming success of this exhibition led, in 1898, to the founding of the first Museum of the Congo.

Philatelic material.

Maximum cards of the series made in black and white.

Photo by A.Caignie

The same postcards were used for the Ruanda-Urundi series.

Editor: Unimax, Brussels

Depicting:

1) Figure of a seated king named Bope Kena, 119e King of the Ba-Kuba Kingdom

2) Seated musician, Ba-Tshokwe

3) Kneeling female figure holding a cup, Ba-Luba

4) Ritual double cup for palm wine, Ba-Kuba Kingdom

5) Dance mask from the Ba-Kuba Kingdom

6) Dance mask from the Ba-Luba

7) Dance mask from the Ba-Kuba Kingdom

All objects are from the collection of MRAC, Tervuren (Belgium).

Size: 9 x 14 cm. Cancellation: Leopoldville 21-12-51 (1951)

The Ruanda-Urundi cards are cancelled on 5-5-58 (1958)

Postcards. Distributed by “laboratories La Biomarine”, Dieppe Belgium)

All objects are from the collection of MRAC, Tervuren (Belgium).

Cancellation: 11-6-52 (1952)

Postcard: depicting a Benalulua figure and a Ba-Luba mask from the collection of MRAC, Tervuren (Belgium).

Editor is unknown. Cancelled: Leopoldville 6-4-53 (1953)

Souvenir: Cercle Philatelique du Katanga. Elisabethville 1939-1949.

Issued for the 10e anniversary exhibited stamps 16-VII-1949

Cancelled: Elisabethville. Exposition 16 July 49 (1949).

Price 50Fr. Numbered at lower right: No 0214.

Size: 21.5 x 28.5 cm. Circulation: unknown

First Day Covers (FDC)

Note: Blanco or airmail envelopes are not shown here but do exist

Although this envelope is used for this FDC, it is not certain that this envelope was intended for this series. It was used for the same series in Ruanda-Urundi and there exist other series in FDC with the same envelope used.