About This Stamp
This stamp celebrates the 200th anniversary of Indiana’s statehood. Known as the Hoosier State, Indiana became the nineteenth state of the Union on December 11, 1816.
The state’s fertile soil has long made it ideal for crops like corn, which remains a staple of Indiana’s agricultural economy. It is therefore fitting that the Indiana Statehood stamp features a contemplative photograph of the expansive cornfields near Milford, Indiana. The photographer, Michael Matti, grew up in Milford and had driven past that view hundreds of times until one day he decided to pull over, stand on top of his car, and take in the beautiful sunset.
Indiana has often been considered the heartland of America. Striving to find a middle way has been part of its heritage since frontier times, when it attracted settlers from both north and south. This influx created a distinctive culture that was more western than northern or southern.
Today, Indiana is well known for hosting the Indianapolis 500 race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the world’s largest spectator sporting facility, with a seating capacity of 250,000. Indiana is also known for its devotion to the game of basketball. Legendary players such as Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird have been among the finest products of Indiana’s basketball culture.
Art director Derry Noyes designed stamp.
The Indiana Statehood stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp. This Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.
Stamp Art Director, Stamp Designer
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.