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Classic American Dolls

First Day of Issue Date: July 28, 1997

First Day of Issue Location: Anaheim, CA

About This Stamp

The Postal Service commemorated Classic American Dolls with the issuance of a pane of 15 32-cent stamps on July 28, 1997, in Anaheim, California.

The pane features 15 dolls that were selected to appeal to both antique and modern doll collectors. The names of the dolls appear on the bottom of the sheet.

Designed by Derry Noyes of Washington, D.C., the stamps were printed by Ashton-Potter (USA), Ltd., in the offset process.

Art Director

Derry Noyes

For more than 40 years Derry Noyes has designed and provided art direction for close to 800 United States postage stamps and stamp products. She holds a bachelor of arts degree from Hampshire College and a master of fine arts degree from Yale University.

Noyes worked as a graphics designer at Beveridge and Associates, a Washington, D.C., firm, until 1979 when she established her own design firm, Derry Noyes Graphics. Her clients have included museums, corporations, foundations, and architectural and educational institutions. Her work has been honored by American Illustration, the Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington, Communication Arts, Critique magazine, Graphis, Creativity International, and the Society of Illustrators.

Before becoming an art director for the U.S. Postal Service, she served as a member of the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee from 1981 to 1983.

Noyes is a resident of Washington, D.C.

Stamp Artist

Sally Andersen-Bruce

Sally Andersen-Bruce has been the president and sole proprietor of her photography business for more than 30 years. Based in Connecticut, her assignments have taken her all over the world for clients such as IBM, Polaroid, AT&T, Pepsi, Fortune, and the Wall Street Journal.

Her portfolio includes photographic content for corporations, institutions, and publications, focusing on executives, products, food, architecture, financial reports, and websites.

In addition to her commercial work, she has collaborated with several museums, including the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico; the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont; and the Strong Museum in Rochester, New York.

Andersen-Bruce’s photographs have appeared on numerous U.S. postage stamps, among them Classic American Dolls (1997), Neuter and Spay (2002), Nutcrackers (2008), Animal Rescue: Adopt a Shelter Pet (2010), Weather Vanes (2012), Gingerbread Houses (2013), and Diwali, first issued in 2016. Most recently, her photograph appeared on the 2025 Lunar New Year • Year of the Snake stamp.

First Day of Issue Ceremony

First Day of Issue Date: July 28, 1997
First Day of Issue Location: Anaheim, CA

Order the Putting a Stamp on the American Experience Prestige Booklet!

Highlighting the popular series and subjects that give the U.S. stamp program its remarkable range and depth, this 32-page prestige booklet is only the fourth ever issued by the Postal Service.