Charles Bonnier: artist, author of the first Belgian stamp

Charles Bonnier is a Belgian artist of the XIX century, the author of many portraits of famous personalities and the creator of the first Belgian stamps. He was born in 1814 in the family of a clerk and in his early years became interested in drawing. In 1827, he was enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts, where he was most interested in lithography. After completing his studies, he worked for some time with his father in the Ministry of Finance, but the artist continued to practice the art of drawing, making pencil portraits of acquaintances.

Bonnier became famous for his works published in the magazine L'artiste. He decided to resign from his post in the ministry and switched exclusively to art. At the same time, he used his connections and created a number of paintings, drawing over a hundred portraits of deputies of the House of Representatives of Belgium. The artist wanted to achieve more, so he went to hone his skills in Paris. He dedicated the works of the late 30s to Louis Gallet, Horace Vernet, Francois Bouchot, and other artists, sculptors and musicians. The drawings were collected in one album and were accompanied by a brief reference about each person. In 1941, Bonnier had the chance to draw King Leopold I of Belgium and his family.

On July 1, 1849, the first Belgian postage stamps were issued, which were drawn by Charles Bonnier. The stamps, called Epaulettes, depict a portrait of King Leopold I, created on the basis of a painting by the Belgian portrait painter Liévin De Winne. There is no perforation on both stamps, one of them is brown and has a nominal value of 10 centimes, the second is blue with a nominal value of 20 centimes. The stamps were sold in the post offices of the country, and were also issued for sale to postmen.