About This Stamp
In 2012, the U.S. Postal Service commemorates the 150th anniversary of the birth of O. Henry (the pen name of William S. Porter, 1862-1910) with a stamp in its Literary Arts series. The short stories of O. Henry are beloved for their irony and skillful unfolding of plot; often, they end with a surprise twist. This prolific author wrote nearly 300 tales, most in the final eight years of his life. By the time of his death, he was the most widely read storyteller in America and was internationally admired.
In the stamp art, the author’s portrait is set against a background image of the elevated rail in New York City, where many of O. Henry’s stories were set. The portrait is based on a photograph of the author as a young man that dates to the late 1880s.
The dominant sense of comedy is unmistakable in O. Henry’s work. One of his most popular stories, “The Gift of the Magi,” tells of a young married couple on Christmas Eve: Della has one treasure, her long hair, which she has cut off and sold to buy Jim a chain for his heirloom watch — which he, in turn, has sold to buy her a fine set of combs. This tale suggests that human goals can be frustrated despite good intentions, yet Jim and Della are seen as admirable because of the sacrifices they make for love.
Explanations for how he chose his pen name vary, and Porter gave different answers when people asked. “O. Henry” may be a condensation of “Ohio State Penitentiary,” where Porter served a sentence for embezzlement before becoming known as a writer.
The O. Henry Prize Stories, an anthology published annually since 1919, testifies to his continuing influence on American letters. After his death, his friends established the yearly collection to honor him and to encourage the ongoing development of the art of the short story.
The first stamp in the Literary Arts series was issued in 1979; O. Henry is the 28th writer to be honored in the series. Art director Ethel Kessler worked with artist Cap Pannell on his first stamp illustration for O. Henry.
The O. Henry stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp in self-adhesive sheets of 20. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate. At the time of issuance, the O. Henry stamps are being sold at a price of 45 cents each, or $9.00 per sheet.
Stamp Designer, Stamp Art Director
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.