Penny Lilac of the Penny Lilac was adapted from that used for revenue stamps in Britain from the early 1860s. In that respect it represented a break with 40 years of tradition in postage stamp design. Its predecessors (the Penny Black, the Penny Red and the Penny Venetian Red) all had rectangular designs. The use of the colour lilac for low value definitives was extended in 1884 when other low-value stamps were issued in lilac, with green then being used for higher-value stamps. The Penny Lilac was a surface-printed stamp and was issued in two forms: Penny Lilac stamps are often found
Laurie Penny vile sexist and anti-Semitic abuse" following the book's publication. Penny was selected by Truthdig as "Truthdigger of the Week" for the week of 25 November 2011. In 2012, "Tatler" magazine described her as one of top 100 'people who matter'. In October 2012, "The Daily Telegraph" ranked Penny as the 55th most influential left-winger in Britain, reporting that she is "without doubt the loudest and most controversial female voice on the radical left." In April 2014, Penny was announced as an International Nieman Fellow at Harvard. In August 2015, Penny endorsed Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the Labour Party leadership election.