About This Stamp
The Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly graces the fifth butterfly stamp for use on greeting card envelopes. The stamp art was created on a computer, using images of preserved butterflies as a starting point. The result is a highly stylized, simplified image of an Eastern tiger swallowtail rather than an exact replica.
The square format of the stamp was developed in partnership with the greeting card industry to indicate that this stamp may be used for square envelopes weighing up to and including one ounce. Greeting card envelopes printed with a silhouette of a butterfly indicate the need for an additional postage—or the use of this butterfly stamp. The butterfly stamp may also be used to mail envelopes with irregular sizes and shapes.
The Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) is named for the black "tiger" stripes along the upper surfaces of its wings. Like others in the swallowtail family, Papilionidae, these butterflies have long tails on the tips of their hind wings. Males and some females are yellow with black stripes, with females having much more blue on the upper surface of the hind wings than the males. There is also a dark female morph or form. In the dark morph, the areas of the wing that are normally yellow are dark gray or black. This 2015 stamp illustrates a yellow morph female.
The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Non-Machineable Surcharge stamp will be issued in sheets of twenty. The words “NON-MACHINEABLE SURCHARGE” on the stamp indicate its usage value. Like a Forever® stamp, this stamp will always be valid for the rate printed on it. The initial price and value for this stamp is 71 cents.
Nationally known artist Tom Engeman created the stamp art. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp.
Stamp 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
Tom Engeman
Nationally acclaimed artist Tom Engeman, a resident of Kensington, Maryland, is well known for his poster and stamp designs. The winner of numerous design awards, he lists among his career accomplishments being the first art director for Washingtonian magazine, designing Historic Preservation magazine, and creating posters for the Metro, Washington’s new subway system, which were stolen as soon as they went up.
Among his many designs for the U.S. Postal Service are the Liberty Bell Forever® stamp, 60 stamps for the Flags of Our Nation series that began in 2008, and eight butterfly-themed stamps, the first issued in 2010, intended for use on large greeting card envelopes and other mail of nonstandard shapes and sizes. Engeman's most recent butterfly stamp design is Colorado Hairstreak (2021).