Cowboys of the Silver Screen

On April 17, 2010, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the Postal Service™ will issue a 44–cent, Cowboys of the Silver Screen commemorative stamp in four designs in a pane of 20 stamps and a booklet of 20 stamped postal cards, both designed by Carl T. Herrman of North Las Vegas, Nevada.

With the issuance of the Cowboys of the Silver Screen stamps, the U.S. Postal Service® honors four extraordinary performers who helped make the American Western a popular form of entertainment. Film stars from the silent era through the singing era are featured on the stamps: William S. Hart, Tom Mix, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers.


Images and text courtesy of the USPS.


Hat tip to The Los Angeles Times, which made mention of The Autry National Center.

A Jackson Pollack for 44 cents?

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On March 11, 2010, in Buffalo, New York, the Postal Service™ issued a 44–cent, Abstract Expressionists commemorative stamp in ten designs, designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland

In celebration of the abstract expressionist artists of the 20th Century, Art Director Ethel Kessler and noted Art Historian Jonathan Fineberg (Gutgsell Professor Art History, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign) selected ten paintings to feature on this colorful pane of self–adhesive stamps. Kessler used elements from Barnett Newman’s Achilles (1952) to frame the stamps. The arrangement of the stamps suggests paintings hanging on a gallery wall. For design purposes, the sizes of the stamp are not in relative proportion to the paintings. The pane also features selvage text and a quotation by Robert Motherwell. Each stamp includes the artist’s name and verso text that identifies the painting and briefly tells something about the artist.

List of Stamp Artwork

• The Golden Wall (1961) — Hans Hofmann (1880–1966)
• Romanesque Façade (1949) — Adolph Gottlieb (1903–1974)
• Orange and Yellow (1956) — Mark Rothko (1903–1970)
• The Liver Is the Cock’s Comb (1944) — Arshile Gorky (1904–1948)
• 1948–C (1948) — Clyfford Still (1904–1980)
• Asheville (1948) — Willem de Kooning (1904–1997)
• Achilles (1952) — Barnett Newman (1905–1970)
• Convergence (1952) — Jackson Pollock (1912–1956)
• Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 34 (1953–1954) — Robert Motherwell (1915–1991)
• La Grande Vallée 0 (1983) — Joan Mitchell (1925–1992)

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A Jackson Pollack for 44 Cents?

No! The whole pane of stamps has to be purchased for $4.40 at a post office or online.


The image of the Jackson Pollack stamp was obtained from The Los Angeles Times.

A New York Times article, with an enlargement of Adolph Gottlieb’s “Romanesque Facade.”

An ARTINFO article, with an enlargement of Hans Hofmann's "The Golden Wall."

The image of the pane and the text was obtained from USPS.

The USPS press release

A New York magazine article

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Haitian Earthquake: One Week Later

The devastation caused by the Haitian earthquake of last week is still visible. In this photo, an Israeli team is searching the rubble for survivors in what remains of a reinforced concrete building:

Photos: One Week After The Haitian Earthquake

The U.S. Military is providing humanitarian assistance:

"There is no 'easing' into the day here at the military encampment at the Port au Prince airport. Navy and Marine helos hit the deck here at 0630 sharp. There’s no snooze button on that alarm. You roll out of your cot, put the same uniform on that you’ve worn for the last 3 or 4 days. Does it stink? Who knows, everyone is in the same boat. This ain’t no formal dinner. These are bare base operations. Our focus is mission. Our mission is saving lives." — Chief Master Sergeant Tyler Foster

Dispatch from an Airman in Haiti — "One Life at a Time"

If you'd like more information or would like to contribute to the relief effort, USAID has an information and update page; its site also has information about how $10 can be quickly donated to the American Red Cross by sending a text message. Contributions to the American Red Cross can also be made at its Haiti Relief and Development webpage, which was found at the USAID site.


If you use French postage, collect stamps, or would like to help via La Poste, this stamp has been issued by France's Post Office.

It's an ordinary Marianne stamp with an extra label. Its price is one euro: 0.56 pays for postage; 0.44 is provided to the Red Cross of France. About seven million such stamps are expected to be sold. Via Álbum de Estampillas



Update: Watching Urban Change by Satellite: Google's satellite imagery has helped relief efforts.