 |
ALAN CASH - web pages Genealogy |
 |
Hugo Fleury
stamp and banknote designer
(1893-1983)
|
Photograph of Hugo and Hettie Fleury kindly provided by Phyllis Levy |
Hugo Fleury (my great uncle) was born at 252 Whetley Lane, Manningham, Bradford, Yorkshire on 23rd January 1893. His father was Hermann Fleury, a portrait painter born in Frankenthal, a town near Mannheim, Germany. His mother was Margaretha Schalck who was born in Wicker, a small village near Frankfurt. Hugo was the youngest of seven children, the eldest three of which, including my grandfather Robert, were born in Germany. The family had emigrated to England in 1876.
By 1901 the family were living in north London (apart from Hugo's married brother Carl, who remained in Bradford). The census has them at 88 Pellatt Grove, Wood Green, with Hugo aged 8. Hugo's brothers, Robert (27) and Hermann (24), are present as Art Students, while brother Frederick (23) is Wood Carver. Their father, Hermann senior, is described as Artist Picture Painter. The father and these three older sons are all described as occupied "at home", so the house must have been quite crowded and busy.
It was around this time that Hugo's brother Hermann began producing artwork for postcards, which were published by the companies Misch & Stock's, and G. D. & D of London. The postcards were signed "H. Fleury junior". Information about Hermann junior and his postcards can be found here.
I know nothing of Hugo's education, or how he faired in a German family in London in the first War.
At age 30, Hugo was married to Henrietta Levy, on 14th April 1923, at Edmonton Register Office. My mother described her Aunt Hettie as a German woman who was very deaf. I think it likely that Hettie's father was, in fact, London-born, while her mother was born in Holland (although I have not confirmed these details yet). Her father was described as Cigar Maker in Hettie's marriage document.
Hugo was employed as a printer's designer at Waterlow & Son. A design of his was used for stamps which commemorated the Silver Jubilee of the reign of George V in 1935. In the same year (1935) his design was used for a 1000 escudos banknote of Portugal. In 1938 his design was used for Cayman Islands stamps. He designed Czechoslovakian banknotes circulated from 1945. In 1949 his design was used for one of a set of Great Britain stamps commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union.
Hugo Fleury's wife, Henrietta, died on 30th January 1963, at 69 Pembury Road, London N17. Hugo Fleury died on 26th November 1983 at the same address.
A number of postage stamp websites have given the Waterlow designer's name as Harold Fleury or Henry Fleury (rather than Hugo Fleury). I don't where the mistakes in name were first made, but they have been copied a number of times. The stamp and banknote designer known as H. Fleury, who worked at Waterlow from the thirties to the fifties, was my mum's uncle, Hugo Fleury.
The Postal Union Congress 1929
 |
The design of this 2½d stamp commemorating the Postal Union Congress of 1929 was by Hugo Fleury of Waterlow and Sons, and was submitted on 10th December 1928, and rejected two days later by the Stamp Advisory Committee.
The Silver Jubilee stamps 1935
 |
 |
 |
 |
The same Windsor Castle design was used on sets of stamps for each colony of the British Empire. Each colonial set had a different colour scheme. The denominations of the stamps reflected the local currency and postal charges applicable.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The stamp is of considerable interest to serious stamp collectors because of the small printing errors which crept in affecting the picture of the Castle and other features of the stamp. The design was used for a large number of stamps because there were so many colonies at the time. For a website which specializes in the 1935 Silver Jubilee stamps click here.
The Portuguese 1000 escudos banknote 1935
The figure on the banknote is Mestre de Avis (or Aviz) who was born in 1357 and became King John I of Portugal, reigning 1385-1433. Hugos' original artwork for this banknote is shown on the right.
 |
 |
The Cayman Islands stamps 1938
The subject of the stamps is the Cayman Schooner. The stamp shown on the left is the 5s stamp in crimson. The same design was used for the 2½d stamp, which was bright blue until 1947, when the colour was changed to orange. Hugo's design was adopted with correction of spelling of Caymen to Cayman. Hugo's original artwork is shown on the right.
 |
 |
The Czechoslovakian banknotes 1945
Hugo designed this 20 Korun banknote which was currency in the Czechoslovak Republic in the period 1945-1953.
 |
 |
The man whose picture appears on the 20 Korun note is Karel Havlicek Borovsky, who was a nineteenth century liberal Czech journalist.
On the 50 Korun note, also designed by Hugo, is a picture of General Milan Rastislav Stefanik, who was a Czech astronomer and astrophysicist. He became a minister in the Czech government after the first War, but was killed in an aeroplane crash in 1919.
 |
 |
The Universal Postal Union stamps 1949
A set of four Great Britain stamps were issued in 1949 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union. The UPU was founded in 1874 with headquarters in Bern, Switzerland. It is the primary forum for cooperation between postal services, and now has 191 member countries.
Hugo Fleury's design was used for one of these stamps - the 6d denomination.
The royal visit to New Zealand 4d stamp 1953
After the coronation, as part of a world tour, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited New Zealand. This was the first time a reigning monarch had visited that country. Two stamps were issued in commemoration of the visit - a 3d and a 4d stamp. Hugo did artwork which appears to be the basis of the 4d stamp, although the couple appeared head-and-shoulders in the stamp rather than full length. Hugo's artwork is on the right.
 |
 |
Paintings
I own the following five watercolours which are signed "H. Fleury" and I believe to be by Hugo Fleury.
 |
Forest |
 |
Forest |
 |
Woman in green dress |
 |
Fishing Boats, Leigh on Sea |
 |
Nightfall, Leigh |
The pictures below, mostly watercolours, some signed, were recently sold at auction as being by "H. Fleury". I think they are by Hugo Fleury, but I have no provenance.
 |
Funfair |
 |
Chingford Fair |
 |
Merry-go-round |
 |
Timber Ship Ionic Crest |
 |
Baboons |
 |
Dancer |
 |
Classical Figure |
 |
Farmhand (pencil) |
 |
Female Nude (1913 pencil) |
 |
Female Nude |
 |
Female Nude |
 |
Female Nude |
 |
Female Nude |
 |
Male Nude (pencil) |
 |
Male Nude |
 |
Young Man (pastel) |
 |
Young Man (pencil) |
 |
Haystacks (oils) |
 |
The Hunter |
 |
Ecclesiastical Figure |
 |
Waltham Abbey Farm (1965) |
 |
Waltham Farm (1965) |
 |
Avey Lane, Waltham (1965) |
 |
Country House (1969) |
 |
Surrey Docks |
 |
Surrey Docks |
 |
The Maid |
 |
Boats at Low Tide |
 |
At the Theatre |