Since I was about 5 years old, I’ve been slowly collecting stamps. The vast majority are American and for the past 10 years, I’ve only been collecting the Commerative Stamp Yearbooks that the United States Postal Service issues each year. This year USPS released its 2003 book early, which I don’t understand because it’s now November 4 and it made me wonder if I’m missing the Christmas-time stamps. (The latter has always been problematic for me.)
Some observations:
1 The LOVE stamps are bright and boring.
2. The most beautiful stamps of 2003 are from the American Filmmaking: Behind the Scenes series. Designed by Ethel Kessler, these black and white, square stamps depict, using a surrealist pastiche, the production processes that go into making images move.
3. I can’t believe the U.S. Government approved a Cesar E. Chavez stamp. This did not get released at my local Post Office.
4. The First Flight stamp, recaling Orville and Wilbur Wright’s flight 100 (Kitty Hawk was on December 17, 1903!!) years ago, is quite refined, lovely, even. I’m still shocked that we’ve only been flying for one century.
5. There is a stamp honoring the Korean War Memorial. I always thought this realistic sculpture in Washington was treacly but the stamp makes it look very cinematic, moving even.
6. The stamp of Audrey Heburn does not do her justice. Her neck is very long, however.