About This Stamp
In 2018, the U.S. Postal Service® issues Meyer Lemons, a two-cent definitive stamp.
The stamp art features an illustration by John Burgoyne. The artist used pen and ink and watercolor to create the stamp art, which depicts a whole Meyer lemon next to two wedges of the cut fruit.
Thought to be a cross between a lemon and a mandarin or sweet orange, the Meyer lemon has its roots in China, though no one knows when the plant first appeared. Frank N. Meyer, for whom the lemon was later named, encountered the dwarf fruit trees in the early 1900s in Beijing where they were grown primarily for ornamental rather than culinary purposes. Meyer, who worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), had been tasked with discovering native plants of other countries that might thrive in the U.S. In 1908, he sent a specimen of the tree to the USDA Plant Introduction Station in California. It rapidly gained popularity with gardeners as an ornamental potted plant.
Sometimes smaller and rounder than true lemons, Meyer lemons have a smooth skin and range in color from deep yellow to light orange, with a dark yellow or orange pulp. Moderately acidic, they are very juicy and somewhat sweeter than true lemons, with hints of mandarin and sweet lime. Their rinds have a complex scent, slightly herbal and spicy. The bitter pith layer found in regular lemons is quite thin in the Meyer, so the fruit can be used in its entirety. Though stories vary about who is responsible for making the fruit a culinary superstar, today Meyer lemons are sought by chefs and home cooks for their aromatic, slightly sweet quality.
Meyer lemon trees are easily grown by individuals in gardens in citrus-growing areas and in containers elsewhere.
Art director Derry Noyes designed this stamp with an existing illustration by John Burgoyne.
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.
Existing Art By
John Burgoyne
John Burgoyne was raised in Massachusetts, where he developed a passion for art at a very early age. After graduating from Massachusetts College of Art, Burgoyne embarked on a career as an illustrator. Today he works from his studio on Sandy Neck, Cape Cod, in Massachusetts.
Burgoyne’s illustrations have appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines, such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, Cook's Illustrated, New York, Town and Country, Garden & Gun, Golf Digest, and Golf. His corporate clients have included Apple, American Express, Anheuser-Busch, Nike, Delta, IBM, the United States Postal Service, Volkswagen, Daimler Chrysler, Publix, A+E, and A24 Films. He has also created art for the Florida Aquarium, Bermuda Aquarium, and the Bermuda National Trust. Burgoyne's vineyard clients include Harlan Estate, Spottswoode, Trinchero, and Chappellet.
A member of the New York Society of Illustrators, Burgoyne has received more than 100 awards in the United States and Europe. His work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, the Hatch Awards, Graphis, Print, One Show, Clio, and the New York Art Directors Club.
Existing illustrations of fruits by Burgoyne have appeared on the Apples postcard stamps (2013); on three 2016 low-denomination stamp issuances: Apples (one cent), Grapes (five cents), and Pears (ten cents); on one 2017 issuance, Strawberries (three cents); and on one 2018 issuance, Meyer Lemons (two cents). He created original illustrations for the Otters in Snow Forever® stamps (2021).