British Wilding definitive stamps

The British Wilding definitive stamps were a series of definitive postage and revenue stamps issued in the United Kingdom featuring a photographic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II taken by Dorothy Wilding. Released from December 1952, they were the first stamps issued during her reign. The portrait, captured on 26 February 1952, depicted the Queen half turned to the viewer wearing the George IV State Diadem. Five framing designs created by Edmund Dulac, Enid Marx, Mary Adshead, Michael Farrar-Bell, and George Knipe were selected for the low values, incorporating symbolic flowers of the four nations of the United Kingdom.

Eighteen low values were issued up to 1s 6d, printed in photogravure by Harrison with 15 by 14 perforation. Originally printed on cream paper, this transitioned to white paper in 1962. In 1955, four large-format pictorial castle high-value stamps designed by L. Lamb were introduced, recess-printed by Waterlow, De La Rue, and Bradbury Wilkinson with 11 by 12 perforation. The series introduced major automation innovations, becoming the first and only British issues to feature graphite lines on the reverse and the first to carry phosphor bands on the face to assist Automatic Letter Facing.

Watermarks evolved across the printings, beginning with the Tudor crown and cypher, progressing to the St. Edward's crown with cypher, and concluding with multiple crowns. Regional issues displaying territorial emblems appeared from 1958 for Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and the Crown Dependencies. General British definitive use ended in 1967 with the introduction of the Machin head series, though regional stamps persisted until decimalisation. All pre-decimal Wilding issues were demonetised on 1 March 1972, with the sole exception of the £1 castle stamp.