In this paper we will address the issuance of the Sitting Republic postage stamp, which began circulating in October 1899 in Argentina to replace the series that had cartoon portraits of Bernardino Rivadavia, Manuel Belgrano, and José de San Martín. The decision by the Directorate of Post Offices and Telegraphs of the Republic of Argentina provoked different reactions.



The postage stamp as an object and discussions related to its issue make it possible to stage two problematics related to research on images. On the one hand, this tiny nation emissary leads us to question the choice of image, bringing to the forefront the role played by the post office and its issuance policy. On the other hand, we introduce a methodological discussion of art history: although the postage stamp is an image carrier, it partially shares the modes of production, distribution and consumption with other artistic products.