About This Stamp
A 20-cent commemorative stamp marking the 100th anniversary year of the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge was issued May 17, 1983, in Brooklyn, New York. The First Day of Issue ceremony was held at the Brooklyn Borough Hall. The design of the stamp, by Howard Koslow of East Norwich, New York, was unveiled March 2 during a ceremony at Manhattan City Hall to launch the official anniversary celebration. Esther Porter modeled the stamp.
The Brooklyn Bridge was opened for service on May 24, 1883, 14 years after construction was begun. On that day, it was acclaimed as the longest bridge in the world, with a main span of 1595 feet. It also has been hailed as the first suspension bridge to use cables made of steel wires and one of the first to use pneumatic caissons for foundations. The Brooklyn Bridge was designed by John A. Roebling (1806–1869), and his son, Washington A. Roebling (1837–1926), was in charge of its construction.
The stamp was printed in the intaglio process and issued in panes of 50.
Stamp Artist
Howard Koslow
Howard Koslow was commissioned to do paintings that can be seen at the U.S. Air Force Academy, the National Air and Space Museum, and the NASA Art Gallery, Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The National Park Service also commissioned him to create paintings for its historical art collections. Koslow's previous projects for the U.S. Postal Service include eight 1940s Celebrate The Century stamps (1999), four stamps featuring jazz/blues singers Mildred Bailey, Billie Holiday, Jimmy Rushing, and Bessie Smith (1994), and all of the stamps in the Lighthouse series: Mid-Atlantic Coastal Lighthouses (2021), Great Lakes Lighthouses (1995), Southeastern Lighthouses (2003), Pacific Lighthouses (2007), Gulf Coast Lighthouses (2009), and New England Coastal Lighthouses (2013). Koslow also designed a number of stamped cards including Carnegie Hall (1991), Ellis Island (1992), and the National Cathedral (1993). Howard Koslow died on January 25, 2016 at his home in Toms River, New Jersey. He was 91.