Madonna and Child by Carracci

Lodovico Carracci’s The Dream of Saint Catherine of Alexandria begins to move into the Italian Baroque style esteemed by Samuel Kress, who donated this and other paintings from that period to the National Gallery. The stamps, designed by Bradbury Thompson, were issued in sheets and books of 20 — a new format for Christmas stamps.

The lithographed, engraved design for the stamp represents only a portion of the composition of the painting, which includes Mary and angels above the sleeping Saint Catherine, for whom the painting is named.