France — Semeuse (Sower) Definitive Series
Also known as: Type Semeuse, Sower
Long-running French definitive series showing a sowing female figure, first issued in 1903 and reused across several decades and formats.
Historical context
The Sower design by Louis-Oscar Roty, originally created for French coinage, was adapted for postage and became one of the longest-serving definitive designs in French philately.
Physical characteristics
- Printing
- Typographic and later recess printings depending on the issue
Technical characteristics
- Perforation
- Varies by issue and printing
Design
- Design
- Allegorical female sower, after the figure by Louis-Oscar Roty
- Variants
- Several distinct Sower types exist — ground, no-ground, lined ground and later redrawings
Identification
- Key diagnostics
- Type identification depends on the treatment of the ground beneath the figure and on the frame and inscription details
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Varieties
Sower types
Each type requires its own verified entry with catalogue numbers; not yet created.
Conflicting sources
- Yvert & Tellier, Scott and Michel divide the Sower types differently; equivalence tables must be recorded per type rather than per series.
Research required
- Catalogue numbers, colours and denominations pending transcription from verified catalogue editions.