Vignette (philately)

In philately, the vignette is the central part of a postage stamp design, such as, a monarch's head or a pictorial design, which often shades off gradually to the edges of the stamp.^[1][2]

The central pictorial vignette on this 1948 stamp of British Honduras is in blue. The frame is green.

The central vignette is often surrounded by a frame. Often times the vignette and frame are engraved on a single plate, while sometimes there are two separate plates for the frame and vignette, where the vignette may be printed separately and is often of a different color. The plate from which the vignette is printed is known as the vignette plate.^[3]

Printing errors have sometimes led to the vignette being inverted. Perhaps the most famous example is the Inverted Jenny.

Alternative meaning

A different use of the term vignette in philately is to describe publicity labels or poster stamps which do not have postal validity,^[4] such as those produced in France during World War One by Delandre.

See also

• Vignetting