Forensic Research Archive of Manipulation and Exploitation
"Julen 1904": the first Christmas seal, 1904 Denmark stamp: A purple perforated label reading 'JULEN 1904' above an oval

"Julen 1904": the first Christmas seal (Denmark, 1904)

A purple perforated label reading 'JULEN 1904' above an oval portrait of Queen Louise under a crown, framed by flowers, over the Danish arms of three lions. The tell is the borrowed prestige: the queen's portrait, crown and national arms are placed on an ordinary charity label so that buying and sticking it on a Christmas letter reads as a loyal, approved act.

Propaganda techniques used in this stamp

Transfer
Date
December 1904
Period
Pre-1914
Made by
Julemærkefonden (Danish Christmas Seal committee), with Einar Holbøll of the Danish postal service

Full record

Region, Country, Medium, Issuer type, Regime, Leader, Audience, Purpose, Theme, Source, Rights
Region
Western and Central Europe
Country
Denmark
Medium
Stamp
Issuer type
NGO
Regime
Deuntzer Government
Leader
Johan Henrik Deuntzer
Audience
Domestic public
Purpose
Fundraise
Theme
Health
Source
Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
Source
Wikimedia Commons, retrieved September 29, 2026
Rights
Public domain (1904 print; Commons 'Public domain', Copyrighted=False, PD-old)
Julemærkefonden, 1904 (Danish Christmas Seal Foundation); scan via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Text on the object

Original (Danish) · read from the image, not independently checked

Original (Danish) · read from the image, not independently checked

JULEN
1904

English translation (machine translation by Claude, not verified by a fluent reader)

CHRISTMAS
1904

'Julen' is Danish for 'Christmas' (with the definite ending). No denomination or other text on the label.

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