Delandre Vignettes
The Frenchman Gaston Aime Camille Fontanille (1883 - 1923) was the inventor of the Delandre vignettes – colorful poster stamps showing French soldiers in scenes of World War I:
He produced over 4000 different poster stamps which have become very popular in cinderella philately.
“Delandre” - as he called himself - must have been a crazy guy: he started with printing Italian regimental vignettes – subsequently he began forging them and creating own ones. Nobody really knew whether they were “real ones”, re-impressions/facsimiles or own creations. He expanded printing French army labels
and labels for the French Red Cross - without paying them their share. Therefore he went to jail where he died 6 six years later.
Walter Schmidt produced two catalogs about the French and non-French military “Delandre's”.
Followed by Richard Kiddle with several publications on Delandres: Propaganda, Red Cross, …
References/External links:
Wikipedia: Delandre
Association Philatélique Gergolienne: Les vignettes Delandres
Stephane Bone: Online catalogue of Delandre vignettes and in detail Groupes Cyclistes