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Dulos, Not Duloz: Pierre
Edelestand Stanislas Dulos
(1820-1874)

By Farley P. Katz1,2, 3

The Ottoman Empire issued its second design of stamps, commonly known as the

“Duloz” stamp, beginning in 1865 (Figure 1). According to Max Passer, the Turkish

Ministry of Finance designed the stamp but the die was engraved by a M. Duloz, a

Frenchman, and the Poitevin firm in Paris printed the stamps by typography.4 Passer

quoted an 1867 article by “Dr. Magnus” (pseudo. for Dr. Jacques

Amable Legrand, the “father of French philately”) in Le Timbro-

phile about the Paris International Exhibition (the “Exposition

Universelle”) of 1867.5 Passer understood that Duloz had invent-

ed a process by which he could convert a recess-engraved die

(or intaglio) into a “cliché” for typographic printing, which he

presumably used in preparing the plates.

A translation of Dr. Magnus’ article, “Review of the Postage

Stamps in the French Exhibition,” appeared in the September

to November 1867 issues of The Philatelist. M. Duloz exhib-

Figure 1. Ottoman ited in that show and included his then recent Ottoman postage
stamps that came in six values, as well as the corresponding
stamp 1865

postage dues or “chiffre taxe”:6
In the same machine gallery, M. Duloz, Class 95, exposes specimens of metal en-

graving and patterns of impressions executed by means of these engravings. He is the

inventor of a procedure which is a wonderful combination of science applied to the

art of engraving, reproducing an artist’s design on copper, either in cameo or intaglio.

From a plate made for taille-douce he forms a typographic die. This corner of the ma-

chine gallery is a branch of his workroom, where the plates are engraved and printed

at the same time. All around figure the productions. In one frame are the Moldo-Walla-

chians, with Prince Couza’s effigy, four blue, two orange, two carmine and four violet.

In the centre are four of the French empire stamps, blue, lilac, orange and carmine. In

a similar frame are the Ottoman labels. In a larger one, near the door, are the Otto-

mans, both postals and chiffres-taxe, in series of six, as well as the commercial labels

of the same empire; then four sheets of Moldo-Wallachians, orange, violet, carmine

and blue; then three rows of French commercials, blue, violet, and orange. (Italic em-

phasis supplied by author).7

The Moldo-Wallachian stamps were essays for Romania that Dr. Magnus attributed
to Duloz.8 Are these the 1864 unissued essays pictured in the Scott catalogue? Or
proofs for the 1865 issue (Scott 22-25)? The colors seem right for this. Unfortunately,
I have no idea what were the Turkish commercial labels that Duloz engraved. The
French commercial labels may refer to revenues, discussed below.

In other galleries there was an exhibit of stamps engraved for Poitevin, the com-
pany for which Duloz worked. His Ottoman stamps and others were included:

In M. Poitevin’s cases we again find the Ottoman stamps, for this engraver’s exhibi-
tion is in two parts. In one are found entire sheets of the 10 paras, the 20p. stamp
and chiffre-taxe, the 1 piastre and the 2p., and a quarter of a sheet of 5 piastres. There
are to be seen, moreover, the French commercial and telegraphic, of which we shall
speak anon. On one side of the glass case, in two rows of eight stamps each, may be

Collectors Club Philatelist Vol. 94 No. 2 March–April 2015 99