ABSTRACT
Like all authoritarian regimes, the state of Reza Shah Pahlavi was based on an extensive propaganda, either to convince the public of its legitimacy or to enforce a particular way of behaviour on its subjects. In a society which still remained to a large extent illiterate, images played an important role in disseminating the official ideology. Postage stamps, whose significance and value as a historical source have been underrated for a long period, are in this respect one of the most illuminative class of documents that can help us to understand how the early Pahlavi state perceived itself. Perhaps the best example of this self-representation can be found in the motifs of a stamp set issued in 1314/1935 in celebration of the tenth anniversary of Reza Shah's rule. These stamps are especially interesting because not only can they be regarded as a representative example of official iconography, but also because their iconography itself provides a telling story of the self-image of Iran's political elite during this time.
