Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Catalog Data

Issued by:
United States Postal Service, American, founded 1775  Search this
Designed by:
Gail Anderson, American, born 1962  Search this
Subject of:
President Abraham Lincoln, American, 1809 - 1865  Search this
Medium:
ink on paper (fiber product) with adhesive
Dimensions:
H x W: 3 5/8 × 6 1/2 in. (9.2 × 16.5 cm)
Type:
envelopes
postage stamps
Place depicted:
United States, North and Central America
Date:
2013
Caption:
Gail Anderson is a New York based designer and partner at Anderson Newton Design. Since 1987, Anderson has worked in the field of design at design firms, advertising agencies, and publications. Her work has received awards from major design organizations, including the Society of Publication Designers and the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA). In 2008 she received a Lifetime Achievement Medal from the AIGA. Anderson currently works as Creative Director at the School of Visual Arts Press and is on the Citizen Stamp Advisory Committee for the US Post Office. In 2013, the US Postal Service commissioned Anderson to design the commemorative stamp for the sesquicentennial of the Emancipation Proclamation. Anderson was only the second African American designer tapped to design a commemorative stamp, the first being Georg Olden who designed the Proclamation’s 100th anniversary stamp in 1963.
Description:
A First-Day-of-Issue envelope with the USPS Emancipation Proclamation Forever Stamp. The envelope is a rectangular white envelope with a straight-edge fold over the opening. Slightly to the right of center of the envelope is text stamped in black ink. It reads “First Day of Issue /EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION / January 1, 2013 * Washington, DC 20066 / FREEDOM.” Above the first line are three stars with a line of diamond shapes on either side. They form a decorative border on either side of “First Day of Issue.” There is a double line border on either side of the word “Freedom”. In the envelope’s upper right corner is a Forever stamp. The stamp has an off-white background and is covered in text in black and red ink that reads [HENCEFORWARD / SHALL BE / FREE / EMANCIPATION / PROCLAMATION / ABRAHAM LINCOLN / ***1863*** / FOREVER*** USA]. The phrase “Shall be free” and the name “Abraham Lincoln” are in red, the rest of the text is in black ink. The back of the envelope is blank.
Topic:
African American  Search this
Art  Search this
Design  Search this
Emancipation  Search this
Government  Search this
Graphic design  Search this
U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865  Search this
Credit Line:
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gail Anderson
Object number:
2020.11.38.2
Restrictions & Rights:
© United States Postal Service
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
See more items in:
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification:
Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
Memorabilia and Ephemera-Advertisements
Data Source:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5f0529db3-132b-49f0-acc2-dd3171fea2d5
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmaahc_2020.11.38.2