Swiss Stamps
Pro Juventute Issues
of 1933-1942
Most of the Pro Juventute Swiss stamps issued between 1933 and 1942 feature the theme of women in Traditional Regional Costumes, and that is the name that they are referred to by Swiss philatelists. One or more of the stamp denominations in each set usually honors a famous personality, as well.
With only one exception, all of the Pro Juventute stamps shown below were issued on December 1 of each year. The thematic issues in each set are photogravure, and the portrait issues in each set are engraved.
In most cases, the surtax amounts on all these Swiss stamps benefited the Pro Juventute Foundation.
The 1933 Pro Juventute Swiss stamps are shown above (Zu. WI #65-68, Mi. #266-69, Sc. #B65-68). The lower-denomination Swiss stamps feature women in traditional regional costumes, as follows:
- 05 C. + 05 C. - Vaud.
- 10 C. + 05 C. - Bern.
- 20 C. + 05 C. - Ticino.
The 30 C. + 10 C. denomination stamp was issued to honor Jean Baptiste Girard.
Jean Baptiste Girard (1765-1850) was a Swiss Franciscan educator. As director of the schools in Fribourg from 1807-1823, Girard made primary school education compulsory, organized school administration, and insisted on the adoption of good textbooks and teaching methods.
The 1934 Pro Juventute stamps are shown above (Zu. WI #69-72, Mi. #281-84, Sc. #B69-72). The lower-denomination Swiss stamps feature women in traditional regional costumes, as follows:
- 05 C. + 05 C. - Appenzell.
- 10 C. + 05 C. - Valais.
- 20 C. + 05 C. - Grisons.
The 30 C. + 10 C. denomination stamp was issued to honor Albrecht von Haller.
Albrecht von Haller (1708-1777) was a Swiss anatomist, physiologist, and naturalist. He is often referred to as the "father of modern physiology".
The 1935 Pro Juventute stamps are shown above (Zu. WI #73-76, Mi. #287-90, Sc. #B73-76). The lower-denomination Swiss stamps feature women in traditional regional costumes, as follows:
- 05 C. + 05 C. - Basel.
- 10 C. + 05 C. - Lucerne.
- 20 C. + 05 C. - Geneva.
The 30 C. + 10 C. denomination stamp was issued to honor Stefano Franscini.
Stefano Franscini (1796-1857) was a Swiss politician and statistician. He was one of the first members of the Swiss Federal Council elected in 1848, and he was Switzerland's first Italian-speaking Federal Councilor.
The 1936 Pro Juventute stamps are shown above (Zu. WI #77-80, Mi. #306-09, Sc. #B77-80). The higher-denomination Swiss stamps feature women in traditional regional costumes, as follows:
- 10 C. + 05 C. - Neuchâtel.
- 20 C. + 05 C. - Schwyz.
- 30 C. + 10 C. - Zurich.
The 05 C. + 05 C. denomination stamp was issued to honor Johann Georg Nägeli.
Johann Georg Nägeli (1773-1836) was a Swiss composer and music publisher. He is best known for his keyboard compositions and hymns.
The 1937 Pro Juventute stamps are shown above (Zu. WI #81-84, Mi. #314-17, Sc. #B81-84). They were issued on December 1, 1937 to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Pro Juventute (For the Children) Foundation.
The two higher-denomination stamps feature the profile of a young boy and the profile of a young girl.
The two lower-denomination stamps feature portraits of General Henri Dufour and Niklaus von der Flüe.
General Guillaume-Henri Dufour (1787-1875) was a Swiss army officer, bridge engineer, and typographer. He served under Napoleon I as the Commander-in-Chief of Swiss forces, he was president of the First Swiss Convention, which established the International Red Cross, and he was the founder of the Swiss Office of Typography, serving as its president from 1838 to 1865. The Dufourspitze (15,203 ft.), the highest mountain in Switzerland, is named for him.
Niklaus von der Flüe (1417-1487) had a multifaceted
life. He was born of wealthy parents, and during his life, he was a
soldier, military leader, member of the assembly, councilor, judge, and
mystic. After 1467, as the result of a vision, he left his family and
worldly possessions and became a hermit. His council to the Diet of
Stans in 1481 helped to prevent war between the Swiss Cantons, and for
this, he is revered as a Swiss patriot and as the symbol of Swiss
unification. He was beatified in 1669 and canonized in 1947, and he is
the patron saint of Switzerland.
The 1937 Pro Juventute souvenir sheet shown above (Zu. WI #83I-84I, Mi. 318-19 (Block 3), Sc. #B89) was issued on December 20, 1937. The size of the souvenir sheet is 105 x 55 mm., and it sold for 1 Franc.
The proceeds from the sale of the souvenir sheets benefited the Pro Juventute Foundation.
The 1938 Pro Juventute stamps are shown above (Zu. WI #85-88, Mi. #331-34, Sc. #B91-94). The higher-denomination Swiss stamps feature women in traditional regional costumes, as follows:
- 10 C. + 05 C. - St. Gallen.
- 20 C. + 05 C. - Uri.
- 30 C. + 10 C. - Aargau.
Arcadian Landscape (c. 1785)
By Salomon Gessner
The 05 C. + 05 C. denomination stamp was issued to honor Saloman Gessner.
Saloman Gessner (1730-1788) was a Swiss painter and poet. His paintings are primarily pastoral landscapes.
The 1939 Pro Juventute stamps are shown above (Zu. WI #89-92, Mi. #359-62, Sc. #B96-99). The higher-denomination Swiss stamps feature women in traditional regional costumes, as follows:
- 10 C. + 05 C. - Fribourg.
- 20 C. + 05 C. - Nidwalden.
- 30 C. + 10 C. - Basel.
The 05 C. + 05 C. denomination stamp was issued to honor Hans Herzog.
General Hans Herzog (1819-1894) was the Commander-in-Chief of the Swiss Army, which guarded the Swiss borders during the Franco-Prussian War.
The 1940 Pro Juventute stamps are shown above (Zu. WI #93-96, Mi. #373-76, Sc. #B106-09). The higher-denomination stamps feature women in traditional regional costumes, as follows:
- 10 C. + 05 C. - Thurgau.
- 20 C. + 05 C. - Solothurn.
- 30 C. + 10 C. - Zug.
The 05 C. + 05 C. denomination stamp was issued to honor Gottfried Keller.
Gottfried Keller (1819-1890) was a Swiss poet and writer, remembered as one of the most popular narrators of literary realism of the late 19th Century.
The 1941 Pro Juventute Swiss stamps are shown above (Zu. WI #97-00, Mi. #399-02, Sc. #B112-15). The 10 C. + 05 C. and 20 C. + 05 C. denomination stamps feature women in traditional regional costumes, as follows:
- 10 C. + 05 C. - Schaffhausen.
- 20 C. + 05 C. - Obwalden.
The 05 C. + 05 C. denomination stamp was issued to honor Johann Lavater, and the 30 C. + 10 C. denomination was issued to honor Daniel Jeanrichard.
Johann Lavater (1741-1801) was a Swiss poet, writer, philosopher, and theologian.
Daniel Jeanrichard (1672-1741) was a pioneer in Swiss watchmaking. His efforts in the mass production of replacement parts created a new industry in Switzerland and paved the way for modern industrial Swiss watch production.
The Pro Juventute souvenir sheet shown above (Zu. WI #98I-99I, Mi. #403-04 (Block 6), Sc. #B116) was issued on December 1, 1941 for Wartime Winter Relief. The size of the souvenir sheet is 75 x 70 mm., and it sold for 2 Francs.
The proceeds from the sale of the souvenir sheets benefited public charities.
The 1942 Pro Juventute Swiss stamps are shown above (Zu. WI #101-04, Mi. #412-15, Sc. #B120-23). The 10 C. + 05 C. and 20 C. + 05 C. denomination stamps feature women in traditional regional costumes, as follows:
- 10 C. + 05 C. - Appenzell.
- 20 C. + 05 C. - Glarus.
The 05 C. + 05 C. denomination stamp was issued to honor Niklaus Riggenbach, and the 30 C. + 10 C. denomination was issued to honor Konrad Escher von der Linth.
Niklaus Riggenbach (1817-1899) was a Swiss engineer and locomotive builder. He invented the Riggenbach Rack System and the counter-pressure brake. Difficulties in railroad travel through very mountainous terrain led Riggenbach to the concept of a "rack railway". He discovered that a locomotive could negotiate steeper stretches of track by bolting a rack between the rails which a toothed cog on the underside of the locomotive could engage. He received a patent in 1863, and in 1871, the Vitznau-Rigi Railway became the first mountain railway to use his invention.
Konrad Escher von der Linth (1767-1823) was a Swiss scientist, artist, and politician. He headed the "Great Council of Switzerland" in 1798, during the French occupation. He also published a survey of the Swiss Alps, and he is perhaps best remembered for his efforts in "taming" the Linth River.
eBay Auction and Store Links
Switzerland
The following links feature category-focused affiliated seller listings on various eBay sites worldwide. They may enable visitors to shop
for and to buy specific items for the
particular collecting subject they've just read about.
The
affiliated eBay seller auction lots provided by eBay,
Inc. are not the responsibility of the management of this
website. On high priced material, make sure the lots you are buying are properly authenticated.
Remember
that the lots on most of the European eBay sites are priced in EUROS. The lots on the Switzerland eBay site are priced in SWISS FRANCS. The Swiss Franc is roughly equivalent to the US Dollar. Shipping
charges may be more, and the lots may take longer to arrive. Also, make
sure the foreign seller ships to your country, before bidding on or
buying his lot.
Return to Switzerland Stamps from
Swiss Stamps - Pro Juventute Issues of 1933-1942
