Diverse Subjects Offer Broad Appeal
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- What do Bette Davis,
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game," and Latin jazz have in common? They're some
of the subjects recognized in the Postal Service's 2008 stamp program.
The 2008 stamp program recognizes a range of subjects as diverse as
America itself, from the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrated in Chinatowns
all over the country, to 20th century movie icons and literary figures, to
the flags of our states and territories.
"This stamp series celebrates our greatest creative minds, our
groundbreaking heroes, and the places, institutions and values that have
made us who we are," said Postmaster General John Potter. "We're proud to
be able to highlight noteworthy parts of our shared American history on
stamps that people will use every day to connect with family and friends.
Our introduction of The Flags of Our Nation series this summer makes
for a perfect start into stamp collecting -- and they're a great geography
lesson. We encourage parents to involve their children in this fascinating
inexpensive hobby they will cherish for years to come."
Flags of Our Nation
In mid-June, the first of this multiyear series of 60 stamps will begin
to wave across the counters of the nation's 37,000 Post Offices. The series
highlights the Stars and Stripes, 50 state flags, five territorial flags,
and the District of Columbia flag. Ten stamps will be issued in the spring
-- Stars and Stripes, plus Alabama through Delaware -- followed by 10 more
in the fall -- District of Columbia through Kansas. The series continues in
2009 and 2010, with four of the six groups of 10 to include a Stars and
Stripes stamp.
The flag art was created by Tom Engeman of Bethany Beach, DE, under the
guidance of art director Howard Paine of Delaplane, VA. Each stamp design
also includes artwork that provides a snapshot view of the area represented
by its flag. In most cases, an everyday scene or activity is shown, but
occasionally the view is of something less commonplace -- rare wildlife,
perhaps, or a stunning vista.
Celebrating Lunar New Year: Year of the Rat
The 2008 commemorative stamp program launches in early January by
celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year with the issuance of the Celebrating
Lunar New Year: Year of the Rat stamp. The rat is the first of 12 animals
associated with the Chinese lunar calendar. People born in the Year of the
Rat are said to be industrious, adaptable and ambitious. The Year of the
Rat begins Feb. 7, 2008, and ends Jan. 25, 2009. The stamp will be
dedicated 11 a.m. PT, Jan. 9 at the Nob Hill Masonic Center in San
Francisco. Art director Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD, worked with
illustrator Kam Mak, an artist who grew up in New York City's Chinatown and
now lives in Brooklyn.
W. Chesnutt
Later in January, the 31st stamp in the Black Heritage series honors
Charles W. Chesnutt, a pioneering writer recognized today as a major
innovator and singular voice among turn-of-the-century literary realists
who probed the color line in American life. Art director Howard Paine of
Delaplane, VA, wanted a stamp that emphasized Chesnutt's intelligence and
dignity. Stamp artist Kazuhiko Sano of Mill Valley, CA, painted Chesnutt's
portrait based on a 1908 photograph from the special collections of Fisk
University's Franklin Library.
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Yearling and her
memoir Cross Creek, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings will be commemorated on Feb.
21 at the site of her Cross Creek, FL, home. Rawlings is remembered for a
series of short stories, novels and non-fiction works about life in the
Florida backwoods. Her memoir spurred readers to urge her to write Cross
Creek Cookery. Rawlings' collections of southern recipes remain a popular
addition to many kitchen libraries today.
Art director Carl Herrman of Carlsbad, CA, worked with award-winning
artist Michael Deas of Brooklyn Heights, NY, to create a portrait of the
novelist with a background depicting a fawn at a watering hole in the
Florida scrub country. The rows of spots on the male fawn are consistent
with the description in The Yearling.
American Scientists
Some of the most impressive scientific achievements of the 20th century
will be recognized in April when the American Scientists stamps are issued.
The series honors four scientists:
-- Theoretical physicist John Bardeen (1908-1991) co-invented the
transistor, arguably the most important invention of the 20th century.
Bardeen also collaborated on the first fundamental explanation of
superconductivity at low temperatures, a theory which has had a profound
impact on many fields of physics.
-- Biochemist Gerty Cori (1896-1957), in collaboration with her husband
Carl, made important discoveries that later became the basis for our
knowledge of how cells use food and convert it into energy. Among her
discoveries was a new derivative of glucose, a finding that elucidated the
steps of carbohydrate metabolism. Their work also contributed to the
understanding and treatment of diabetes and other metabolic diseases.
-- Astronomer Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) played a pivotal role in
deciphering the vast and complex nature of the universe. His meticulous
studies of spiral nebulae proved the existence of galaxies other than our
own Milky Way, paving the way for a revolutionary new understanding that
the cosmos contains myriad separate galaxies, or "island universes."
-- Structural chemist Linus Pauling (1901-1994) determined the nature
of the chemical bond linking atoms into molecules. He routinely crossed
disciplinary boundaries throughout his career and made significant
contributions in several diverse fields. His pioneering work on protein
structure was critical in establishing the field of molecular biology and
his studies of hemoglobin led to many findings, including the
classification of sickle cell anemia as a molecular disease.
For each stamp, artist Victor Stabin of Jim Thorpe, PA, with the
assistance of art director Carl Herrman of Carlsbad, CA, created a collage
featuring a painted portrait of each scientist combined with diagrams or
photographic representations associated with their major contributions.
American Journalists
Five journalists who risked their lives reporting some of the most
important events of the 20th century receive their stamp of approval in
April. The five stamps honor:
-- Martha Gellhorn (1908-1998) covered the Spanish Civil War, World War
II and the Vietnam War in a long career that broke new ground for women.
With her constant focus on harm to civilians, her reporting was considered
a morally courageous model.
-- John Hersey (1914-1993) was a versatile writer whose most famous
work, Hiroshima, describes what happened when the United States dropped an
atomic bomb on the Japanese city that gave the work its title. It has been
acclaimed as the greatest work of journalism of the 20th century. Hersey's
work appeared in various publications, including Time, Life and The New
Yorker.
-- George Polk (1913-1948) was a talented young CBS radio correspondent
who filed hard-hitting radio bulletins from Greece describing the strife
that erupted there after World War II. He was working on reports of
corruption involving U.S. aid when he disappeared. His body was found a
week later. The exact circumstances of his death remain a mystery.
-- Ruben Salazar (1928-1970) was the first Mexican-American journalist
to have a major voice in mainstream news media. His writings in the Los
Angeles Times and segments at KMEX-TV on the Chicano movement of the 1960s
added richly to the historical record. While in Los Angeles covering a
Vietnam War protest, Salazar was killed by a tear gas projectile.
-- Eric Sevareid (1912-1992) was a writer for the New York Herald
Tribune and later a broadcast journalist for CBS radio recruited by Edward
R. Murrow. He covered World War II, reporting on the approach of the
Germans to Paris, the exodus from the city and on life in London during
wartime. In 1943, while en route to China, Sevareid parachuted from a
disabled plane and emerged from the jungle on foot some time later. His
later television commentaries in the 1960s and 1970s on the CBS Evening
News were widely admired.
Fred Otnes of West Redding, CT, worked under the guidance of Howard
Paine of Delaplane, VA, to illustrate the stamp pane.
Mount St. Mary's University Stamped Card
In late April, the 200th anniversary of the founding of Mount St.
Mary's University will be celebrated with a stamped postal card issued on
the Emmitsburg, MD, campus. The stamp art features a watercolor painting of
"the Terrace" created by award-winning architectural illustrator Frank
Costantino of Winthrop, MA. Composed of DuBois, Brut e and McCaffrey Halls,
the Terrace is one of the central attractions on the university's
picturesque campus.
Costantino based his artwork on historic photographs and drawings.
Constantino
worked with art director Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, AZ.
Frank Sinatra
The Postal Service honors Frank Sinatra (1915-1998), an Oscar-winning
actor and supreme interpreter of American popular song. Art director
Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, AZ, and stamp artist Kazuhiko Sano of Mill
Valley, CA, chose to present this iconic figure in a portrait based on a
publicity photograph. In a 50-year career studded with accolades, Sinatra
won several Grammys, received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1971,
and was recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1983. Sinatra gave
generously to many charities and was noted for his philanthropy. President
Reagan awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985. Sinatra was a
native of Hoboken, NJ, where the Post Office was renamed in his honor.
Wedding Hearts
In 2008, the U.S. Postal Service will reissue the designs of the two
2007 Wedding Hearts stamps featuring vines that form the shape of a heart.
These stamps are designed especially for mailing wedding invitations and
RSVPs and are sure to add an elegant touch to invitations and response
cards.
The stamps will be available in two denominations to cover both the
one-ounce and the two-ounce mailing rates. Each one-ounce stamp is intended
for use on the RSVP envelope often enclosed with a wedding invitation. Each
two-ounce stamp will accommodate the wedding invitation with enclosures.
Illustrator Nancy Stahl of New York City based her designs on memories of a
wide range of intertwined objects, including silver charms and
old-fashioned garden gates. The one-ounce denomination features a sage
background, while the two-ounce denomination features a melon background,
as determined by Stahl and art director Carl Herrman of Carlsbad, CA.
Minnesota Statehood
The 150th-year celebration of Minnesota statehood will be commemorated
in May on a stamp bearing a photograph by Richard Hamilton Smith of Park
Rapids, MN and designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD. The view, above
Winona, in southeast Minnesota, is the MN-43/WI-54 bridge spanning the main
channel of the Mississippi River. The stamp will be dedicated in St. Paul.
Love: All Heart
In 1973, the U.S. Postal Service issued the first stamp in its popular
Love series. The 2008 design, titled All Heart, by illustrator Paul Zwolak,
under the direction of Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD, features an oversized
heart being transported by its owner to convey that a heart filled with
love could be a gift to one's beloved, rather than the usual flowers or
candy.
Bette Davis
Film diva Bette Davis becomes the 14th inductee into the Legends of
Hollywood series on the 100th anniversary of the year of her birth. A
consummate actress with a magnetic screen presence, Davis (1908-1989)
played a wide variety of powerful and complex roles during her six-decade
career. Her riveting performances, acclaimed by critics and fans alike,
resulted in 10 Academy Award nominations for best actress; she won twice
for her starring roles in Dangerous (1935) and Jezebel (1938). Artist
Michael Deas of Brooklyn Heights, NY, based his painting for the stamp on a
black-and-white still of Davis made during the filming of All About Eve
(1950). The selvage, or margin, photograph is a black-and-white still from
Jezebel. Deas worked under the direction of Richard Scheaff of Scottsdale,
AZ.
Vintage Black Cinema
Vivid reminders of a bygone era will be celebrated in June through
Vintage Black Cinema stamps based on five vintage movie posters. Whether
spotlighting the talents of entertainment icons or documenting changing
social attitudes and expectations, these posters now serve a greater
purpose than publicity and promotion. They are invaluable pieces of
history, preserving memories of cultural phenomena that otherwise might
have been forgotten. The stamp pane was designed by Carl Herrman of
Carlsbad, CA.
The stamp images depict movie posters that promoted:
-- The 1921 silent film The Sport of the Gods.
-- The first screen appearance of Duke Ellington in the 1929 film Black
and Tan.
-- Princess Tam-Tam, a French film issued in 1935 that was one of four
movies to star Josephine Baker.
-- 1929's Hallelujah, one of the first major-studio films to feature an
all-black cast.
-- The 1945 short Caldonia, which highlighted the talents of singer,
saxophonist and "jump blues " bandleader Louis Jordan, and is often cited
as a precursor to today's music videos.
The Art of Disney: Imagination
With the help of some of Walt Disney's famous animated characters,
these four stamps, scheduled to be the fifth and final in the Art of Disney
series, illustrate the theme of imagination. Art director Terrence
McCaffrey of Leesburg, VA, joined a design team that included artist Peter
Emmerich of Yonkers, NY, and creative director Dave Pacheco of Burbank, CA,
to create four stamps featuring:
-- Mickey Mouse as Steamboat Willie.
-- Princess Aurora and her helpers Flora, Fauna and Merryweather from
Sleeping Beauty.
-- Pongo and one of his pups from 101 Dalmatians.
-- Mowgli and Baloo from The Jungle Book.
Olympic Games
Next July, the Postal Service continues its tradition of honoring the
spirit of athleticism and international unity inspired by the Olympic
Games. The stamp will be issued to coincide with the games of the XXIX
Olympiad, which will be held from Aug. 8 through Aug. 24, 2008 in Beijing,
China. The stamp, designed by Clarence Lee of Honolulu, HI, features a
drawing by artist Katie Doka, also of Honolulu. The image depicts a gymnast
surrounded by ribbon-like design elements. In the upper right corner of the
stamp, the denomination is surrounded by a graphic element that resembles
the ink mark created by a Chinese "chop, " a carved wooden stamp often used
for signatures or seals. The five Olympic rings appear in the lower left
corner. The design direction was coordinated by art director Carl Herrman
of Carlsbad, CA.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
One of the most popular baseball songs of all time, "Take Me Out to the
Ball Game " celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2008 on postage late next
summer. For decades, the song's catchy chorus has been part of the musical
tradition at ballparks around the country, especially during the
seventh-inning stretch. The song was born on a New York City train in the
summer of 1908, when passenger Jack Norworth -- an actor, singer and
songwriter who had never attended a major-league ball game -- penned the
words after seeing a sign about an upcoming game at the Polo Grounds.
The stamp image is based on a circa-1880 "trade card " from the
personal collection of art director Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, AZ. The
original card shows a baseball scene and contains words promoting a product
made by a Michigan company. The stamp art shows the same scene but replaces
the product-related words with "Take Me Out to the Ball Game, " the stamp
denomination, notes from the music, and the words "United States of
America. "
Charles and Ray Eames
In recognition of their groundbreaking contributions to architecture,
furniture design, manufacturing and photographic arts, designers Charles
and Ray Eames will be honored next summer with a pane of 16 stamps designed
by Derry Noyes of Washington, DC. If you've ever sat in a stackable molded
chair, you've experienced their creativity. Perhaps best known for their
furniture, the Eameses were husband and wife as well as design partners.
Their extraordinary body of creative work -- which reflected the nation's
youthful and inventive outlook after World War II -- also included
architecture, films and exhibits. Without abandoning tradition, Charles and
Ray Eames used new materials and technology to create high-quality products
that addressed everyday problems and made modern design available to the
American public.
American Treasures: Albert Bierstadt
Add the beauty of Yosemite to your mail with the eighth issuance in the
American Treasures series next August. Art director Derry Noyes of
Washington, DC, chose "Valley of the Yosemite, " an 1864 oil-on-paperboard
painting by Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902). It belongs to the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston. "Valley of the Yosemite " shares the freshness and immediacy
of the plein air field sketches Bierstadt used in composing a much larger
painting titled "Looking Down Yosemite Valley. "
Latin Jazz
The rich musical heritage of Latin jazz is celebrated on a stamp being
released in August featuring a bold, graphic design by San Francisco-based
artist -- and Latin jazz fan -- Michael Bartalos. Eager to capture the
upbeat, energetic and romantic spirit that characterizes the musical genre,
Bartalos, under the art direction of Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, AZ,
created a tropical evening scene that depicts three musicians playing bass,
piano and conga drums. The design conveys the multicultural aspects of the
music, its percussive and improvisational nature, and of course its
rhythmic complexity.
Alzheimer's Awareness
Extra attention will be paid to the most common form of dementia among
older people in September when the Postal Service issues the Alzheimer's
Awareness stamp. Art director Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD, worked with
illustrator Matt Mahurin of Northport, NY, to draw attention to the
importance of the caregiver for those who have Alzheimer's disease.
Nature of America: Great Lakes Dunes
The 10th issuance in the Nature of America educational series -- Great
Lakes Dunes -- illustrates the beauty and complexity of another major plant
and animal community in the United States. To illustrate the diversity of
species associated with Great Lakes dunes, artist John Dawson of Hilo, HI,
working under the art direction of Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD, depicted
more than 27 different kinds of plants and animals in his colorful acrylic
painting. The scene itself is imaginary as a dense grouping of plants and
animals was necessary to illustrate as many species as possible on the
stamp pane. Even so, all of the species could be encountered at or near
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan, the area featured on
the pane. All of the species and their interactions are appropriate and
were recommended by scientists.
Holiday Nutcrackers
Four eye-catching nutcracker designs -- Santa, or "Father Christmas, "
-- a king, a captain, and a drummer -- add colorful, humorous touches to
2008 winter holiday cards, letters and packages. The nutcrackers were
custom-made for the U.S. Postal Service by Glenn Crider of T.R.C. Designs,
Inc., of Mechanicsville, VA. Crider based the characters on sketches and
notes provided by Sally Andersen-Bruce of New Milford, CT, who later
photographed the completed nutcrackers for the stamps under the art
direction of Derry Noyes of Washington, DC.
2008 Christmas Stamp
Working from a detail of a painting titled "Virgin and Child With the
Young John the Baptist " by the Italian master Sandro Botticelli, designer
Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, AZ, created the Postal Service's 2008
Christmas stamp. The painting, tempera and oil on wood, dates to around
1490 and is now in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. It
presents one of the most common figural groups in religious art.
Botticelli's beautifully rendered figures capture the tender relationship
between mother and child and at the same time suggest Mary's foreknowledge
of Christ's fate. The facial expression of John the Baptist, seen standing
to the side in a prayerful gesture, also suggests a heightened awareness.
An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only
delivery service that visits every address in the nation, 146 million homes
and businesses, six days a week. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies
on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating
expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75
billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail.
SOURCE U.S. Postal Service
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