Ah France, you drive me crazy. As you can guess it’s time to look at the 2026 French stamps and if I sound like I’m complaining, well, sorry, it’s more of a sigh of appreciation and a wee bit of frustration. Each time I look at the French program my brain immediately flips over to the annual Stamp Fairs which make my heart go ZING!. I’m am so deeply jealous. The French know how to put on a stamp show. I actually can’t wait for the fall fair. It’s an orgy of stamp delight. 

Now to the business of the 2026 French stamps you’ll see posted here. This annual page has gotten a bit out of control, size wise. Can’t help it, it’s the natural by product of falling in love with a country’s stamps and artists.  You’ll find lots of details and great links to follow, so better settle down with a strong espresso. 

I’m still researching a few of the designers, There seems to be a few new faces, and I haven’t been able to confirm previous designs. I’ve noted when I think its a first release which will be subject to correction.

I’ll periodically remind you to check out the margins of some of the sheets. France has a delightful tradition of decorating the edges with extra details and they are easy to miss.  

Already into March and still no sign of an Elsa Catelin design.  I’m not happy La Poste. I’m not happy at all. 

January

Water Through the Seasons – Winter

4 stamps on souvenir collector’s sheet

This is the new theme for the yearly collector’s edition sheets. 

Designer: Bruno GHIRINGHELLI

Release date: January 2, 2026

Blue in Art

12 stamps in booklet format 
rotogravure

This is a fascinating look at the use and effects of colour in art. 

At Yvaral, Structure cubique evokes a space vibrating with light. Paul Klee, with Blue Night, makes abstract forms dance in a suspended universe. Vincent Van Gogh, master of deep blue, uses it in The Starry Night and Almond Blossoms. Georges Lacombe’s Marine bleue and Carl Burckhardt’s Coastal Landscape convey the soothing power of marine horizons, while André Brasilier, in Normandy Beach, captures their luminous poetry. René Magritte’s meditation invites introspection, and Edgar Degas, with his Blue Dancers, grace in movement. Sara Hayward, Leila Barton and André Derain offer contemporary visions full of freshness.
BLUE IN ART | The ink square

Designer: Ségolène CARRON

Release date: January 5, 2026

Almanac Vermot 

1 stamp, sheet of 15, cancel
offset

Vermot Almanac: 140 years of humour, knowledge and traditions

This annual was started in 1886 by Joseph Vermot 

Created in 1886 by Joseph Vermot, it was inspired by rural almanacs born after the Napoleonic Wars, such as The Great Lame Messenger of Strasbourg. But the origins of the genre date back to the sixteenth century: from the cities to the countryside, a literature of peddling developed thanks to the rise of trade routes. The catalogue of the “Blue Library” of Troyes is a notorious example of this; “blue” in reference to the color of its covers. There are poetry, fables and tales, short novels, as well as ephemerides and practical guides.
ALMANAC VERMOT | The ink square

The stamp uses the publications red and black logo. Don’t miss the fun little decorations in the margins.

Designer: Valérie Besser using photos ©Hachette Livre

Release date: January 5, 2026

Alberto Giacometti 1901-1966

1 stamp, sheets of 9, cancel
intaglio

This stamp features Ciacometti’s Man crossing a square on a sunny morning-1950  sculpture.

Elongated silhouettes, bodies but also busts and faces in infinite space, a mental space as much as a physical space, a space that can be delimited by lines but that these characters inhabit above all. The figures first offer themselves to perception, refined, almost minimal, reduced to a line, to a drawing. These works absorb their surroundings so attractive is the material, marked by the gesture, and where time condenses, stops, as if the gaze had penetrated the essence of a pure appearance. Alberto Giacometti’s sculptures are immediately recognizable, visible in the collections of the greatest museums, they radiate a presence and an absence, they call for silence, for the contemplation of the body, of proportions, of the face of course, of movement or immobility. They crown a long and diverse career, between painting, drawing, sculpture and engraving.
ALBERTO GIACOMETTI 1901-1966 | The ink square

Designer: Pierre ALBUISSON
Engraver: Sarah LAZAREVIC

Giacometti’s works previously appeared on a French stamp in 1985 – Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966) – The Dog. Stamp design by Pierre Béquet.

Release date: January 12, 2026

200 Years of Le Figaro – The Culture of Freedom Since 1826

1 stamp on souvenir sheet, cancel
offset

In the world of newspapers and magazines, Le Figaro is a legend. It now publishes in a digital format Le Figaro – Live news and continuous information 

Check out the paper on the wall to the left of the stairs and the quill pen in both the title and in the woman’s hair.

Le Figaro celebrates its two hundred years in 2026. Named after a character by Beaumarchais, the oldest French daily, and one of the most modern, has also adopted as its motto the famous line: “Without the freedom to blame, there is no flattering praise.” And it is still today under the sign of freedom, the freedom to inform, to debate and to think about the world, that Le Figaro celebrates its bicentenary on all its media: the printed daily, the website, social networks, the television channel… and on the occasion of this anniversary reveals a commemorative stamp.
200 YEARS OF LE FIGARO The culture of freedom since 1826 | The ink square

Designer: Matthieu FORICHON
This is Forichon’s first stamp for La Poste, and, the first time Le FIgaro has appeared on a stamp. His art has been featured on magazine covers such as the 2022 New Yorker. He also illustrated “How to become an It-Girl” by Eléonore Thery

Le Figaro entrusted me with the creation of the poster for the 200th anniversary of the newspaper. The bicentenary was celebrated at the Grand Palais from 13 to 15 January 2026. The poster was adapted for a TV spot hosted by Mathieu Maillefer and used during poster campaigns in Paris and in the provinces. Le Figaro has also published objects based on the image: crockery with the Maison Bernardaud, Puzzle and other derivative products. Two other illustrations have also been commissioned to extend the communication of the 200 years to 2026. Finally, for the occasion, La Poste has issued an official stamp 200 years of Le Figaro.
Matthieu Forichon, 200 ans du Figaro

Release date: January 12, 2026

Heart Stamps 2026
20th stamp in series

2 heart shaped stamps, souvenir of 5 stamps, sheet 12 stamps, self-adhesive sheet 30 stamps, cancel
scented stamp 
rotogravure

This annual stamp enters it’s 20th year, a monumental feat of continuity. This might be worthy of an extended article in it’s own right! 

Each year, La Poste picks a different iconic French company to design the yearly Valentine stamp. 2026 was offered to the House of Fragonard and as befitting a perfume company, this stamp is lightly scented with orange blossom. 

Founded in Grasse in 1926, Fragonard is one of the last traditional perfumery houses still in operation in the perfume capital of the world. For a century, she has cultivated a passion for flowers, colours and natural materials, maintaining an intimate link with Provence, an inexhaustible source of scents and inspiration.

Fragonard’s historical postcards, distributed throughout France from the 1960s, bear witness to the ancient link between the house and the art of letter-writing. Some were even scented thanks to a detachable tongue system, making the smell of Grasse travel far beyond its fragrant hills.

With this new heart stamp, Fragonard symbolically revives this tradition: sending happiness, memories and a little perfume by post.
HEART STAMP 2026 | The ink square

Designer: House of Fragonard

Release date: January 26, 2026

February

35th Stamp of the Year Election

This contest will allow  the public to tell the world which of France’s stamps deserves the title “the best”. It’s a stiff competition, considering the deep pool of talent La Poste can tap each year. Voting takes place February and March with results published in June. Stamp election 2025 – From February 02 to March 31, 2026

There are a number of categories, including best postmark, best sheet, single stamp and more.  Alas I’m not eligible to vote, but that didn’t stop me from picking a few favourites. Among the best postmark were these three cancels:

And in the “I’m glad I can’t vote” category goes to these sheets. Talk about a tough choice – Marianne vs airmail. Phew. 

We’ll have to wait until June to find out the winners. If you are eligible go and vote here 35th STAMP OF THE YEAR ELECTION | The ink square.

Release date: February 2, 2026

Winter Sports Season
1st in series

3 stamps on a special sheet, cancel
rotogravure

This new series will see a release every year leading up to the 2030 Olympic Winter Games that will be held at various French Alps locations. 

Designer: Michel CANETTI
This appears to be Canetti’s first stamp. The Paris born artist and illustrator is now located in Melbourne, Australia.

Michel Canetti’s illustrations have smooth, flowing lines and curves that epitomise Parisian chic; stylish silhouettes that celebrate line and movement reveling in the female form. The work is polished and classic, yet modern and sassy. Similar to the traditional art of calligraphy, his work requires a delicate balance between creativity and control: flowing, rounded curves and sharp, sophisticated detail- Painting in Watercolor and gouache allows Canetti to execute the spontaneous disciplined lines to show the movement of the body and fabrics.
About | Mysite

Release date: February 2, 2026

Zodiac

12 stamps in booklet format, cancel
rotogravure

Not to be confused with the Lunar New Year stamps. This set features astrological signs by way of illustrator Clémence Gouy’s unique stylings. Her art is bold, vibrant and wow inducing. Check out more here Clémence Gouy.

Back in June the French postal services La Poste hit me up with a very fun brief: create 12 zodiac-themed illustrations for a limited edition stamp book + franking stamp.
Stamps books often represent various aspects of French culture, so I wanted something stylish and a bit sassy and had a blast digging into fashion editorials and 70s astrology ephemera as an inspo source.
They are finally out and available in every France’s post offices now, right on time for Fashion Week 
Instagram

Designer: Clémence GOUY
This looks like yet another first time stamp! It’s a good year so far for new stamp designers. 

Release date: February 9, 2026

Lunar New Year – Year of the Horse 2026

2 stamps on 2 souvenir sheets, souvenir sheet with cover folder, Rotogravure

Year of the Fire Horse 

CHEN Jiang Hong continues his relationship with La Poste with his most recent Lunar New Year art. The Chinese born artist makes his home in Paris, splitting his time between Beijing and France. He also writes and  illustrates children’s books for the French publishing house L’École des loisirs.

Artist: CHEN Jiang Hong
Chen Jiang-Hong | Galerie Taménaga has a pretty good bio written in English.
Designer: Bruno Ghiringhelli

Release date: February 9, 2026

Paul Bocuse 1926-2018

1 stamp, sheet of 15, cancel
intaglio

This stamp is an homage to the pope of gastronomy, the late Paul Bocuse. He was born 100 years ago on February 11, 1926. 

Paul Bocuse was one of the most influential chefs of the 20th century, recognized as a pioneer of nouvelle cuisine and celebrated for elevating French culinary art to unprecedented heights; he is known for transforming his family restaurant, L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges, into a world-renowned gastronomic institution that has maintained three Michelin stars for more than five decades. His dedication to excellence and his ability to innovate while respecting tradition have made him a legend around the world. 
Paul Bocuse: the pioneer of Nouvelle Cuisine | Chef | Reporter Gourmet S.r.l.

Good biography can be found here: Paul Bocuse | Obituary | Beyond the Dash

Designer Genty put a number of nice touches in the margins of the sheet. 

Damnit France. Why do you tempt me? Have you seen the Bocuse gift shop? ⇒ Paul Bocuse Gift Boxes – Gift Vouchers & Gastronomy Boxes I now have French envy. 

Designer and engraver: Louis GENTY

Release date: February 9, 2026

Eden Théâtre de La Ciotat

1 stamp, sheets of 10, cancel
mixed offset intaglio

This is the first time the Eden has been featured on a stamp. 

Founded in 1889, this cinema hosted for the first time in 1895, image projections thanks to the cinematograph of Louis Lumière, father of cinema. The theatre and concert hall was then transformed into a cinema and, from 1899, paid film screenings were organised there, officially marking the birth of the Eden Theatre, the oldest cinema in the world still in operation.
Christophe Laborde-Balen dedicates the Eden Théâtre de La Ciotat cinema stamp – Art of Engraved Stamps

Designer and engraver: Christophe LABORDE-BALEN
LaBorde-Balen has created a number of stamps for Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Andorre and France. If you would like to learn a bit more about different engraving styles, he has a nice page laid out The workshop – Christophe Laborde-Balen – Engraver. The descriptions are brief and to the point. A nice little primer for beginners. 

His first stamp was the 2015 Le Tango. 

Release date: February 16, 2026

March

Stamp Festival 2026 – Street Art 

1 stamp, sheets of 15, cancel
offset

This year’s STAMP FESTIVAL  will occur in 75 cities around France, starting March 6 and running to 8, 2026. This annual festival began in 1937 and is co-sponsored by La Poste. Take note Canada Post, this is how you get people excited about stamps. 

From March 6 to 8, 2026, the Stamp Festival will spotlight street arts and invite painters and street artists to transform an unexpected medium: the postage stamp. For this occasion, La Poste has entrusted French street artist Hopare with designing the 2026 philatelic block — “Urban Arts, Street Art.”
Stamp Celebration 2026: Street Art and Interactive Events Take Center Stage at the Postal Museum and Across Essonne – Sortiraparis.com

Stamp Festival Poster for 2026

Designer and engraver: André LAVERGNE

Release date: March 9, 2026

Stamp Festival 2026 – Street Art 

1 stamp on souvenir sheet
rotogravure

See above info for details on this festival.

Designer: HOPARE
Hopare, aka Alexandre Monteiro, is considered one of France’s “rising stars” of urban art. He began his career as a graffiti artist. 

Born in 1989 in the Paris region, Hopare grew up in Limours in the Essonne. As a teenager, he discovered graffiti around the age of 13-14 in an abandoned factory with his friends. This marked the beginning of his first wild tags around his city. But his meeting with his middle school art teacher, Marchal Mithouard aka Shaka, a renowned street artist, would be decisive. Shaka made him understand that he could do much more than simple vandal graffiti. He became his mentor and introduced him to urban art.

Following an arrest and a heavy fine for damage in 2004, the mayor of Limours offered him to create works for the city rather than illegally tag. Hopare then created the signage for the new theater and organized his first exhibition at only 20 years old. A huge success. The young graffiti artist was now taken seriously as an artist.
Hopare – Alexandre Monteiro : Biography of a rising star in French Str An exceptional look at the artist. 

HOME | Hopare has a few interesting videos about Hopare and his work. 

Release date: March 9, 2026

The Queens of France

12 stamps in booklet form, cancel 
rotogravure

This booklet features 12 Queens of France. 

In the kingdom of France, no queen has ever ruled in her own name. From the fourteenth century onwards, the exclusion of women from the succession to the throne was imposed by the interpretation of Salic law, limiting their power to indirect forms: regency, influence, representation.
THE QUEENS OF FRANCE | The ink square

Adelaide of Aquitaine 
Joan of Evreux
Blanche of Castile
Anne of Austria 
Isabeau of Bavaria
Catherine de Medici
Anne of Brittany
Marie de Medici
Louise of Lorraine
Marguerite of France, nicknamed Queen Margot
Marie Leszczyńska
Marie-Antoinette 

Designer: SEB JARNOT
Seb started his illustration career in the 90s by designing record covers for the Parisian electronic music label F Communications (I thought I recognised his name!) The following record covers are his designs: Django Reinhardt 2018 and Michel Petrucciani in 2016. This might be his first stamp. 

Release date: March 9, 2026

Cetaceans

4 stamps on sheet, 2 souvenir sheets with 2 stamps each, cancel
offset rotogravure

Cetaceans comprise two suborders: the mysticetes, or baleen cetaceans, and the odontocetes, or toothed cetaceans. Among the latter, the delphinidae family includes 37 species, from killer whales to small dolphins in the southern seas. The killer whale is found in almost all the seas of the world; This large predator lives in matriarchal groups and feeds on a wide variety of prey, ranging from herring to whales. The sperm whale, Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, is the largest of the odontocetes: males measure up to 18 meters. They dive to more than 1,000 meters to capture their favorite prey, squids that can exceed 3 meters. They are remarkable for their social life, organized around groups of females, smaller than the males. Very social as well, belugas are opportunistic predators. Also known as white whales, these 5-metre odontocetes live in Arctic seas, including in the vicinity of ice floes… hence their color! Beluga whales do not have a dorsal fin, like their cousins the narwhals. The suborder Mysticetes has 15 species, the best known being the humpback whale: this whale, which feeds on small fish or crustaceans, reproduces in the waters of the tropical archipelagos, not far from the coast where a large public comes to admire it. The megaptera, its other name due to its large pectoral fins, is also famous for its songs. Still sometimes hunted, cetaceans are facing a galloping industrialization of the marine environment. However, humpback whales, belugas, sperm whales and orcas are not among the species directly threatened with extinction.
CETACEANS | The ink square

Designer: Mathilde LAURENT using photos by  © Pierre Lobel / Biosphoto, © Andrey Nekrasov / imageBROKER / Biosphoto, © Gérard Lacz / Biosphoto, © Reinhard Dirscherl / Biosphoto

Release date: March 16, 2026

Elisabeth Boselilli – First Female Fighter Pilot

1 stamps, sheet of 10, sheet of 15
mixed offset, intaglio

This stamp is the first to use white fluorescence security ink. Under a UV light, a small compass will appear. 

80 years ago to the day, on February 12, 1946, Élisabeth Boselli obtained the military pilot’s license n° 32939. She was the first woman to achieve this qualification at the end of the Second World War.
Élisabeth Boselli, the first woman to be a licensed fighter pilot | Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs

In 1945, on the initiative of the Minister of Air Charles Tillon, France opened up military pilot training to women. Élisabeth Boselli, 31 years old, graduated from the School of Political Science in 1935, passionate about aviation and licensed as a pilot since 1938, seized this opportunity. Enlisted at the rank of second lieutenant in the Air Force, she trained on several aircraft, including the mythical Dewoitine D.520 fighter, and obtained her military pilot’s license n° 32939 on February 12, 1946. She was the first French woman to hold this qualification, but she was demobilized the same year, after refusing an administrative job, as female staff were no longer allowed to fly.

In 1952, when she had already broken more women’s records at altitude, Élisabeth Boselli rejoined the Air Force, then began a qualification on jet aircraft at the fighter school in Meknes, Morocco. She then set several world records on the Mistral, including the straight line distance record from Creil to Agadir in 1955, with 2,331 km covered in 3 hours 30 minutes. In 1957, wishing to serve in Algeria, she was assigned to the Air Liaison Squadron 54 (ELA 54) on medical evacuation and liaison missions in difficult conditions – for which she received three commendations – then to the Air Liaison Group 45 (GLA 45), as a postwoman in the sky, ensuring the delivery of mail for the ground troops. Having completed 254 law enforcement missions for 729 hours of flight, including 89 war missions, a member of the Aéro-Club de France since 1948, holder of the Legion of Honour, medallist of the Cross of Military Valour and Aeronautics, Élisabeth Boselli retired from active service in 1969 with the rank of captain – attaché-editor of the first class. She died on November 25, 2005 at the age of 91.
ELISABETH BOSELLI First female fighter pilot | The ink square 

Designer: Sarah LAZAREVIC using photos by © Bridgeman Images © Aurimage © Tim Brownillustration

Release date: March 23, 2026

#NFTTImbre7 – Monuments
2nd in series

.

#NFTimbre7.1 A Galactic Story

#NFTimbre7.2 A Heroic Story

#NFTimbre7.3 A Robotic Story

#NFTimbre7.4 A Mystical Story 

4 stamps, 4 souvenir sheets, 4 cancels
offset

This is France’s first NFT for 2026. White fluorescent ink will be applied to features on each stamps.

This is an interesting project that celebrates the UNESCO World Heritage site Mont-Saint-Michel. It’s a complex and wild dive into how the artist approaches his subject:

There are places that seem made for stories, Mont-Saint-Michel is one of them. Placed between land and sea, it appears, disappears, transforms to the rhythm of the tides. Mysterious in its form, it has a name that already sounds like a legend. In each photo, we have the impression of rediscovering him.
Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of a child, it would be normal to ask ourselves:
– “But, what is Mont-Saint-Michel?”
– “Why is he here?”
“Who put it here?”
“Is he alive?”
“Is he looking at us?”
“With this project, I would like to try to answer their questions. Here, we don’t give just one answer, but several. Not an official truth, but different stories around the nature of Mont-Saint-Michel. None of them are true, none of them are fake, just choose the version you prefer. Here, we favor emotion and escape over the overbidding of illustrations. Each stamp carries a new story, at a child’s level, where the imagination becomes another way of looking at reality. » 
#NFTimbre7 – Monuments | The ink square

Each stamp addresses a different aspect of the story of Mont-Saint-Michel, as interpreted by Barrome-Forgues. Each explanation is from La Poste’s press release:

• #NFTimbre7.1 A Galactic Story
  It seems that there is a Mont-Saint-Michel on all the planets of the galaxy, even the very very distant ones. Is that true?
  Each planet has its own Mont-Saint-Michel. On some, it serves as a beacon in the night, on others, as a refuge for the inhabitants, sometimes it becomes a temple for kings…

• #NFTimbre7.2 A Heroic Story
  One day a knight freed Mont-Saint-Michel
  Centuries and centuries ago, Mont-Saint-Michel was the territory of a gigantic dragon.
  He terrorized the inhabitants, and sometimes he ate them.
  But one day, a brave knight decided to challenge the creature…

• #NFTimbre7.3 A Robotic Story
  Is Mont-Saint-Michel a machine?
  You might think it was natural, but Mont-Saint-Michel was designed as a huge machine, a colossal robot, whose mission is to help humans in their daily lives. This prodigious mechanism works constantly, it never stops, never breaks down…

• #NFTimbre7.4 A Mystical Story
  Have you ever seen Mont-Saint-Michel in real life?
  Those who have not seen it may indeed wonder if it is not just a legend, a story known to all but never verified. What if, originally, it was just a simple rock in the middle of the ocean that stories have transformed over time? …
  #NFTimbre7 – Monuments | The ink square

On March 24, 2026 signed copies of this series will be available. NFTs often sell out quickly so if you are a collector, be ready the day of the sale. 

Designer: Nicolas BARROME-FORGUES using photos by  © Rainer Mirau-Sime / ONLYFRANCE, © Jerome Houyvet / ONLYFRANCE, ©Marc Lerouge/ ONLYFRANCE, © Alexis G./Photo12, ©Vincent M. / Andia
Barrome-Forgues has a distinctive style that can be spotted in a crowded art gallery at 100 paces. He uses medias ranging from stained glass to digital to express his “hyper-creativity”. And he seems to like bacon:

Nicolas Barrome Forgues is influenced by pop culture as well as classical painting. With a palette of saturated colours, he deploys a great melancholic joy in his work, celebrating the world of the living and in particular food, in abundant and often funny collective scenes, populated by a galaxy of characters like Francis, the slice of bacon.
Nicolas Barrome Forgues — Creatures, Food, Painting

Mont-Saint-Michel was featured on a 1998 stamp – Mont-Saint-Michel (World Heritage 1979), designed by Louis Briat.

Release date: March 24, 2026

The Little Prince – 80 Years
Poster

2 stamps on poster sheet. These stamps appeared for the first time in 1998
offset

This is an interesting first for France. It integrates augmented reality in by way of a QR code embedded on the poster sheet. When scanned, the viewer will be taken to a special webpage where they can watch a short animation featuring the Little Prince. 

The Little Prince is a popular subject for stamp designers. Both the Prince and author de Saint-Exupéry have appeared on dozens of stamps around the world. The most recent French stamps were the 2021 The Little Prince, 75th Anniversary of Publication using the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s artwork.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was a renowned pilot and has appeared on more stamps than his much loved Little Prince. Among the releases were Birth Centenary of Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944), issued 2000 and designed by James Prunier.

In 2021, France re- issued the 1948 airmail set Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Design team Sylvie Patte and Tanguy Besset were responsible for the layout. 

Artist: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Release date: March 30, 2026

The Little Prince – 80th Anniversary of the Publication of the First Edition

sheet of 4 stamps
offset

Five million copies of this book are sold around the world every year and has been translated into 650 languages and dialects.

Designer: Studio Pekelo
Artist: Antoine de SAINT-EXUPÉRY

Release date: March 30, 2026

Mirepoix, the Medieval Pearl of Ariège 

1 stamp, sheets of 15, cancel
intaglio

A small town of 3100 permanent inhabitants, Mirepoix is situated halfway between Carcassonne and Foix. The earliest mention of the place dates to the 10th century.

On the large central square you can admire the half-timbered houses supported on wood pillars, creating a magnificent covered arcade. The ends of the joists of the richest houses are sculpted, and the most beautiful sculptures are on the Maison des Consuls, showing women’s faces, bearded heads, a tortoise and other fantastical images.
Mirepoix in the Ariège Pyrenees

Designer: Christophe LABORDE-BALEN

Release date: March 30, 2026

April

Water Through the Seasons – Spring  
collector’s edition

 
4 stamps in booklet
offset

Designer: Bruno Ghiringhelli 
Photos: Cover (Hérisson waterfall, Menetrux-en-Joux 39) Rainer MARAU-SIME / Onlyfrance.fr, (La Severaisse river, Hautes-Alpes, 05) François ROUX / Onlyfrance.fr; interior (Fontccouverte waterfall, Hautes-Alpes, 05) © Clément BLIN / Naturagency, Timbres (drops of water) © Michel LEFEVRE / Naturagency and (Val d’Allos river) Robert PALOMBA / Onlyfrance.fr

Release date: April 1, 2026

L’Œuvre d’Orient 170 Years

1 stamp, sheets of 9, cancel
rotogravure

Interesting write up by La Poste regarding topic:

The Œuvre d’Orient was born in 1856 in a major historical context: the end of the Crimean War and the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which recognized France’s role in protecting the Christians of the Ottoman Empire. Called the Work of the Oriental Schools, it was created on the initiative of lay professors at the Sorbonne gathered around Baron Cauchy, a famous mathematician, to support the creation of schools in Lebanon, convinced that education is an essential lever for the future of any society.

In 1860, after the massacres of Christians by the Druze, Father Charles Lavigerie, the first director, recommended broadening his field of action. This will be the beginning of a great story of solidarity. 

Thus, from 1895, Bishop Félix Charmetant, director, was one of the most active figures in France to denounce the massacres and crimes suffered by the Armenians and to collect funds to help them.
THE WORK OF THE ORIENT 170 YEARS | The ink square

Image on the stamp uses French artist Augustin Frison-Roche’s painting The Adoration of the Magi. Check out ‘Everything Beautiful Comes From and Speaks of God,’ Says French Artist – EWTN Great Britain to learn more about both the artist and the painting. 

Artist: Augustin Frison-Roche
Designer: Sandrine Chimbaud

Cable Ship

1 stamp, sheets of 9, cancel
rotogravure

This is a tribute to the work done by the highly specialised marine cable companies that maintain the extensive underwater cables that are the backbone of world communications. 

99% of the world’s internet traffic travels to the bottom of the seas and oceans, via submarine fibre optic telecommunications cables. CABLE SHIP | The ink square

France created the first electro-semaphore submarine cable service in Toulon in 1863. It was equipped with a ship bought from England: the Dix-Décembre, a steamer converted into a cable ship, renamed Ampère (first of the name) in 1870. It remained in service until 1925. After him, twenty-five other French cable ships were built, thirteen of which are still in service. Six are operated by Orange Marine, the telecoms operator’s subsidiary, and seven by Louis-Dreyfus Armateurs on behalf of Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), a fiber optic cable manufacturer nationalized by the French state in 2024.

Created with a view to expansion and sovereignty – cable ships have their own blue, white and red flag, adorned with three lightning bolts, a golden star and a sea anchor – the French fleet is now crucial for the proper functioning of the global internet network. It represents about a third of the total number of cable ships in the world, which makes it possible to intervene in almost all seas in order to repair a damaged or severed cable in a few days. [ibid]

Designer: Raphaële Goineau
Photograph: Orange Marine
Orange Marine is a company that specialises in laying and repairing submarine telecommunications cables and has been in operation since the 19th century. To date, the company has laid 288,000 km of cables around the world.