In recognition of America's 250th anniversary, the U.S. Postal Service released Figures of the American Revolution Forever stamps.
The commemorative stamps feature 25 individual portraits dedicated to some of the people whose actions helped shape the American Revolution and establish U.S. independence.
The stamps were on display in an interactive exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum and will be part of a secondary special dedication in late May at the Boston World Stamp Show.
“Celebrating 250 years is a once in a lifetime event,” said Steve Monteith, the Postal Service’s chief customer and marketing officer. “The freedom of our country was made possible by thousands of brave men and women. To be able to recognize even a small fraction of them through the images on these stamps is an honor.”
The Forever stamps include portraits of 25 individuals arranged in five rows of five. Beneath each portrait, the person’s name and a short identifying line are printed in black. Along the bottom of each stamp, the words “USA” and “Forever” appear in gray. Each portrait draws on a historical image of the person depicted in the artwork.
“As a fitting tribute to America on its 250th birthday, 12 accomplished artists participated in this collaborative visual project to create new, modern portraits of the nation’s founders,” said Daniel Piazza, chief curator of philately at the National Postal Museum. “These stamps encourage viewers to see the Revolution as a broad coalition of people committed to the idea of freedom.”
Each portrait was created especially for the Postal Service by one of 12 artists: Julia Bottoms, Kam Mak, Tim O'Brien, Alex Bostic, Gary Kelley, Michael J. Deas, Karla Ortiz, Roberto Parada, Dale Stephanos, Marc Burckhardt, Sharon Irla, and Julia Kolesova.
For more information, visit usps.com
