The Bal des Petits Lits Blancs in Lebanon:
An Exceptional Event (July 4-6, 1964)
Introduction: When Philately Immortalizes a Moment in History
On July 4, 1964, for the first time in its history, the prestigious Bal des Petits Lits Blancs left the Parisian salons to settle in the sumptuous setting of the Beiteddine Palace in Lebanon. This exceptional charitable event, organized for the benefit of sick children, brought together approximately 2,500 guests from the international jet set: European aristocrats such as Viscountess Jacqueline de Ribes, cinema celebrities like Geraldine Chaplin (daughter of Charlie Chaplin), and personalities from Beirut’s high society such as Princess Mona el-Solh, member of one of Lebanon’s most illustrious political families.
This historic evening marked not only the social pinnacle of 1960s Lebanon but also gave birth to a philatelic series that today bears witness to this golden era where haute couture signed by Dior, Lanvin and Nina Ricci mingled with the Oriental art of living.
The Lebanese Philatelic stamps issues: A Double Series
The 1964 large side Airmail: The Lebanese postal administration issued a first series of three airmail stamps specially dedicated to this event:
17.50 piastres (brown and multicolor): Ball scene with children and the palace in the background
20 piastres (green and multicolor): Children and the palace in the background
40 piastres (blue and multicolor): Children and the palace in the background
The 1964 Regular side Airmail: In parallel, was also issued with stylized motifs of the ball:
5 piastres: a child in a cradle
15 piastres: a child in a cradle
2.50 piastres: a child in a cradle
These two series, issued on June 30, 1964 in 10,000 copies by P. Koroleff and printed by Saikali in Beirut, present a certain philatelic interest today. Collectors can easily identify them thanks to their catalog references:
Scott C408-13 | Minkus 985-990 | Michel 869-74 | Yvert et Tellier 309-14|AA204a
The Michel catalog, however, suggests a print run of 100,000.
First Day Cover postmarked in Beirut on June 30, 1964 illustrates, against the backdrop of a map of Lebanon, the national scope of a charity ball that became a symbol of elegance.
This First Day Cover, adorned with a bedridden child – a direct echo of the stamp’s visual – and postmarked with the special Bal des Petits Lits Blancs cancellation.
This prestigious assembly, dressed in custom creations signed by the greatest names in fashion, transformed the Beiteddine Palace into the theater of an unforgettable evening where charitable generosity and international refinement mingled.
The commemorative stamps, by immortalizing this exceptional evening, preserve for eternity the memory of this unique encounter between the world elite and Lebanese architectural heritage.
The Ball’s First Day: A Collector’s Postcard
Jean Gulbenk’s Photography, Color by Giovanni Trimboli
The postcard that serves as the medium for this First Day issue presents a remarkable view of the Beiteddine Palace, the work of photographer Jean Gulbenk. A professional photographer established in Beirut and active in the 1950s-1960s, Gulbenk specialized in aerial and panoramic photography of Lebanon. He produced commercial postcards of Lebanese tourist sites for an international clientele, which explains the exceptional quality of this architectural view of the palace with its main courtyard, characteristic arcades and the upper floor loggia.
The First Day Cancellation of July 4, 1964
The card features a bilingual First Day cancellation bearing the inscription:
30e BAL DES PETITS LITS BLANCS
AU PALAIS DE BEIT EDDINE
4 JUILLET 1964
This official postal cancellation, applied in Lebanese post offices, authenticates the historic date of the event and constitutes a philatelic testimony of primary importance.
The Organizing Committee’s Cancellation
A particularly sought-after element completes this ensemble: the circular blue non-postal cancellation of the Organizing Committee, bearing the inscription “XXXe BAL DES PETITS LITS BLANCS – COMITÉ D’ORGANISATION – BEYROUTH” with the date “Beit Eddine 4 Juillet”. This event cancellation, distinct from the official postal cancellation, was applied by the organizers themselves and testifies to the authenticity of participation in the event.
A Harmonious and Attractive Ensemble
This card presents all the elements that make it an exceptional philatelic object:
The complete series of six stamps (three airmail and three regular) perfectly arranged
Jean Gulbenk’s professional photography immortalizing the sumptuous setting
The double cancellation (postal and organizational) creating complete authentication
The aesthetic balance between the architectural image and the philatelic composition
This harmonious ensemble transforms a simple postal document into a true commemorative work of art, making this card particularly attractive to collectors specialized in prestigious Lebanese philately.
The French Dimension: Philatelic Slogan and International Mail
The France-Lebanon Postal Slogan
The event had considerable international repercussions, as evidenced by the French philatelic slogan visible on mail from that period. This slogan bears the inscription:
FRANCE – LIBAN
30e BAL DES PETITS LITS BLANCS
4 JUILLET 1964
This slogan testifies to the close diplomatic and cultural ties between France and Lebanon at that time.
International mail franked with these commemorative stamps.
From the Alcazar Hotel in Beirut, the preferred address for distinguished travelers and enlightened collectors, the mail extended in its own way the refined spirit of the Beiteddine ball, between postal art and Oriental hospitality.
Testimony of a refined Lebanon turned toward the world, this envelope franked with several “Petits Lits Blancs” stamps was sent from a Beirut philatelic house to the United States: between charity, elegance and passion for the post, a fragment of history in travel.
From Tripoli to Curaçao, this mail crossed the oceans with, as sole escort, the “Petits Lits Blancs” stamps: messengers of an elegant and generous Lebanon, where charity dressed itself in postmarks.
Entry Tickets: Related Philatelic Documents
The Golden Program
The official program constitutes a fascinating related philatelic document. Printed on golden paper with geometric motifs inspired by Islamic art, it bears the value of 50 francs and the mention “1 PROGRAMME”.
This document, although not a postage stamp, possesses all the characteristics of a philatelic issue: quality printing, face value and commemorative function.
The Pink Ticket
The pink admission ticket to the 30th Bal des Petits Lits Blancs presents a similar aesthetic, with the same stylized architecture of the Beiteddine Palace in the center, surrounded by traditional decorative motifs. The date “SAMEDI 4 JUILLET À 22 H.” definitively anchors this document in history.
Historical and Philatelic Context:
Lebanon’s Golden Age (1960-1975)
These philatelic issues fall within the prosperous period of modern Lebanon, between independence and civil war. The country was then nicknamed the “Switzerland of the Middle East” and Beirut, “the Paris of the Orient”. This prosperity is reflected in the exceptional quality of postal issues from that era.
A Historic First
The choice of Lebanon to host the first international edition of the Bal des Petits Lits Blancs testifies to the country’s cultural prestige. Created in 1934 in Paris, this charity ball had never crossed French borders.
The complete First Day covers with the six values are particularly sought after by collectors specialized in:
Lebanese philately
Middle Eastern commemorative issues
Architecture on stamps
Charitable events (anti-tuberculosis fight, red cross…)
Testimony of an Era
These stamps today constitute precious testimony of a bygone era. They freeze in philatelic eternity a moment when Lebanon shone on the international scene, welcoming the world elite in its historic palaces.
Bridge Between Cultures
The Franco-Lebanese event of 1964 perfectly illustrates the cultural ties between the two countries. The simultaneous presence of French and Lebanese philatelic documents for the same event underlines this historic complicity.
Conclusion: Philately, Guardian of Memory
The 1964 Bal des Petits Lits Blancs at the Beiteddine Palace represents much more than a simple social event: it is a symbol of the Lebanese golden age, immortalized by philately of exceptional quality.
Sixty years later, without these philatelic witnesses, this exceptional event would have sunk into oblivion. This is the full strength and nobility of philately: it preserves for future generations the moments that marked history, even the most ephemeral ones. Time has ended up dispersing the guests and erasing the material traces of this magical evening, but the stamps, cancellations and postcards remain, intact, carriers of precious collective memory.
These philatelic documents form a coherent ensemble that allows today’s collectors to relive, through their albums, the magic of a historic evening where generosity, architectural beauty and the Lebanese art of living mingled. Jean Gulbenk’s photography, the six commemorative stamps and the official cancellations constitute the last tangible vestiges of a Lebanon that shone on the international scene.
For the knowledgeable philatelist, this series constitutes both a cultural and economic investment, testifying to a unique moment when East and West met in the perfect harmony of a palace from the Arabian Nights. More than a collection, it is a duty of memory that each collector carries, involuntary guardian of a historical heritage that only philately has been able to preserve.
Fadi Maassarani
References:
- Private collection – Authenticated philatelic documents
- Buchakjian, G. (2015). Beirut by Night: A Century of Nightlife Photography. Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication, 8(2–3), 256–281. https://doi.org/10.1163/18739865-00802006
- Freiha, Asma and Viviane Ghanem (1992). Les Libanais et la vie au Liban: de l’indépendance à la guerre, 1943–1975. Beirut: Dar al-Sayad.
