About This Stamp
With the issuance of these four stamps in 2009, the U.S. Postal Service recognizes the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), who rose from humble, frontier origins to become a prominent lawyer and politician and ultimately President of the United States.
The stamp art was created by Mark Summers, who is noted for his scratchboard technique, a style distinguished by a dense network of lines etched with exquisite precision. Each stamp features a different aspect of Lincoln’s life.
Rail-splitter
The portrait of Lincoln is based on the earliest-known photograph of Lincoln, dated 1846, by N. H. Shepherd. The background scene depicts Lincoln as a youth splitting a log for a rail fence on what was then the American frontier. When he was a candidate for President in 1860, the Republican Party used the image of Lincoln as a “rail-splitter” to enhance his appeal to the workingman.
Lawyer
The portrait of Lincoln is based on a photograph of Lincoln, dated May 7, 1858, by Abraham Byers. The background scene depicts Lincoln in a courtroom in Illinois, the state where he was a practicing attorney for nearly 25 years.
Politician
The portrait of Lincoln is based on a photograph of Lincoln, dated February 27, 1860, by Mathew Brady. The background scene depicts Lincoln debating Stephen A. Douglas during their 1858 campaign for a U.S. Senate seat from Illinois.
President
The portrait of Lincoln is based on a photograph of Lincoln, dated November 8, 1863, by Alexander Gardner. The background scene shows Lincoln conferring with generals Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman toward the end of the Civil War. The scene is based on “The Peacemakers” (1868), a painting by George P. A. Healy.
Stamp Art Director, Stamp Designer
Richard Sheaff
Stamp Artist
Mark Summers
Mark Summers works out of his studio in Waterdown, Ontario, Canada. He is known for his detail-rich, black-and-white portraits of literary and historical figures. His drawings, which are regularly featured in the New York Times Book Review section, are distinguished by a dense network of horizontal lines etched with exquisite precision. This scratchboard technique, reminiscent of turn-of-the-century engraved illustrations, has been used by Summers in numerous stamp designs for the U.S. Postal Service including those honoring Claude Pepper (2000), Wilma Rudolph (2004), Harriet Beecher Stowe (2007), James A. Michener (2008), and Abraham Lincoln (2009). While attending the Ontario College of Art in 1976, Summers was introduced to the scratchboard technique by the respected Canadian political cartoonist Duncan Macpherson.
Summers' present endeavors include illustrating book covers, as well as editorial, institutional, and advertising artwork. Some of his best known work was done for Barnes & Noble bookstores where his drawings appear on shopping bags, banners, and vans. Publishing clients include TIME magazine, Rolling Stone (where he currently illustrates the back page of each issue), Sports Illustrated, and The Atlantic. Summers has also created logos for Eddie Bauer and comedian Tim Allen.
Summers has been honored by the Society of Illustrators with two gold medals and one silver medal. He was selected by the Society to receive the coveted Hamilton King award in 2000. In 2019 he was inducted into the Illustrators Hall of Fame.
The 2026 Sarah Orne Jewett stamp is Summers' latest project for the Postal Service.