Pre-Independence stamps the quiet keepers of history

Pieces of the past: A visitor looking at the displays in the Penang Philatelic Society’s exhibition titled ‘The Two World Wars Remembered’ at Berjaya Penang Hotel. (Below) A rare 1937 Straits Settlements first-day cover with the postmark of the now-partly ­demolished Runnymede Hotel. — JEREMY TAN/The Star

GEORGE TOWN: Long before smartphones and instant photography documented every moment, stamps served as quiet witnesses to history.

The tiny pieces of paper – some bearing elaborate motifs, others just plain and utilitarian – ­reflected the realities, trends and social currents of their era.