About This Stamp
With this issuance the U.S. Postal Service® and PostNord Sweden join in honoring actress Ingrid Bergman (1915–1982). The 19th stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series celebrates the Swedish-born star who lit up the screen for several decades winning three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress.
The stamp art features a circa 1940 image of Bergman that was taken by Laszlo Willinger, known for his portraits of celebrities. Artist Kristen Monthei digitally colorized the image. Monthei also colorized the selvage photograph, a still of Bergman from Casablanca. The American Film Institute named the Oscar-winning film the top love story of all time.
Beloved in both her native Sweden and the United States, she is best remembered for her timeless portrayals of Ilsa Lund in Casablanca (1942), Paula Alquist in Gaslight (1944), Anna Koreff in Anastasia (1956), and Alicia Huberman in Notorious (1946).
The Ingrid Bergman stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp in self-adhesive sheets of 20. This Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.
Ingrid Bergman™ is a trademark of the family of Ingrid Bergman, licensed by CMG Brands, LLC. CASABLANCA – Licensed By: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Stamp Art Director, Stamp Designer
Ethel Kessler
Ethel Kessler is an award-winning designer and art director who has worked with corporations, museums, public and private institutions, professional service organizations, and now, the United States Postal Service.
After earning a B.F.A. in visual communications from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Kessler worked as a graphic designer and project manager for the exhibits division of the United States Information Agency. Her work was distributed internationally on subjects such as Immigration, Entrepreneurship, Renovation of American Cities, and the Bicentennial of 1976. She was also responsible for exhibits in Morocco, Botswana, and El Salvador.
In 1981, she established Kessler Design, Inc., for which she is creative director and designer. Clients have included the Clinton Government reorganization, the Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic Television, the National Park Service, and the American Institute of Architects.
She has been an art director for the U.S. Postal Service’s stamp development program for more than 25 years. As an art director for USPS, Kessler has been responsible for creating more than 500 stamp designs, including the Breast Cancer Research stamp illustrated by Whitney Sherman. Issued in 1998, the stamp is still on sale and has raised more $98 million for breast cancer research. Other Kessler projects include the popular and highly regarded Nature of America 120 stamp series, a collaboration with nationally acclaimed nature illustrator John Dawson, the 12-year Lunar New Year series with Kam Mak, the American Filmmaking: Behind the Scenes 10 stamps issued in 2003, a 2016 pane of stamps celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and the 2023 stamp honoring Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And many, many others.