Original design (pencil sketch) for two cents pictorial definitive stamp [issued as 2 ½ cents]

This stamp design is by the artist Eileen Mayo (1906-1994). Between 1969 and 1978 a remarkable 12 sets of Mayo’s stamps were issued by the New Zealand Post Office, with a further 3 sets submitted by Mayo but not printed. Mayo’s stamp designs were often images of flora and fauna, or of events in New Zealand’s history.  With their striking use of colour, line and composition, they highlight her impressive skills as an illustrator and designer.

Eileen Mayo was born in Norwich, England, in 1906. After studying in London at the Slade School of Art and the Central School of Arts and Crafts, she worked prolifically as a printmaker, painter and illustrator. Eileen Mayo emigrated to Australia in 1952, before moving to New Zealand in 1962. She lived in Aotearoa for the rest of her life, continuing her work as an artist and printmaker.