The “language of stamps”, is something that began in England in the latter part of the 19th century. Sending a picture postcard was becoming popular, but the amount of space available for communicating one’s thoughts and feelings was limited. And there was no privacy, anyone could read whatever was written on the card. And so, the idea of an encrypted “special or hidden message” was very appealing.

The position or angle of the stamp on a letter or postcard was supposed to relay a hidden or secret message to the recipient. For example, if the stamp was tilted to the left, the writer might be expressing ardent passion; if tilted to the right, he or she might be pleading for forgiveness.

Such was the popularity of the “language of stamps” that in 1899 George Bury published a little booklet that was entitled “Cupid’s code for the transmission of secret messages by means of the language of postage stamps”.