Constitution Sesquicentennial

A 3-cent bright red violet stamp, issued on September 17, 1937, marked 150th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the United States of America. The design was adapted from a famous painting by Julius Brutus Stearns that shows most of the original signers of the document. A number of delegates were not present, and the Constitution was not binding until June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify (two-thirds of the eligible states). The remaining four of the original 13 states ratified it later still.