About This Stamp
In the 1930s and 1940s, murals brought a touch of beauty to Post Office™ locations across the United States. In 2019, the U.S. Postal Service® celebrated these works of art, which were designed to help boost the morale of Americans during the Great Depression.
Each of the pane's 10 stamps features a detail of one of five unique murals:
“Kiowas Moving Camp” (1936)
Anadarko, Oklahoma
One of the Kiowa Six, a group of 20th-century Native-American artists hailing from Oklahoma, Stephen Mopope (1899–1974) designed a multi-part mural depicting Plains Indian life. Mopope and Kiowa Six artists James Auchiah (1906–1974) and Spencer Asah (ca. 1906–1954) painted 16 panels, including “Kiowas Moving Camp.” They can be seen at the Anadarko Post Office in Oklahoma.
“Mountains and Yucca” (1937)
Deming, New Mexico
Painted in oil on canvas by Kenneth Miller Adams (1897–1966), “Mountains and Yucca” depicts Cookes Range, located in southwestern New Mexico just north of the Deming Post Office where the mural is displayed. This landscape is rendered in soft colors and features yucca shrubs and trees and other plant life.
“Antelope” (1939)
Florence, Colorado
The Section of Fine Arts commissioned artist Olive Rush (1873–1966) to create murals displayed at public buildings in Oklahoma, Colorado, and New Mexico, where she lived. Painted with tempera, “Antelope” features a herd of pronghorn, which are sometimes referred to as American antelope. The mural hangs in the lobby of the Florence Post Office in Colorado.
“Sugarloaf Mountain” (1940)
Rockville, Maryland
The work of Judson Smith (1880–1962) appears in Post Office locations in Upstate New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Painted in oil on canvas, “Sugarloaf Mountain” depicts the small peak located near Frederick, Maryland. The Post Office in Rockville, Maryland, where the mural was initially installed is now a police station.
“Air Mail” (1941)
Piggott, Arkansas
Daniel Rhodes (1911–1989) created murals that adorn public buildings and Post Office walls in the Midwest. Painted in oil on canvas, “Air Mail” depicts a local letter carrier helping pilots load bags of mail onto their plane. The mural, which hangs in the lobby of the Piggott Post Office in Arkansas, is an ode to postal workers’ commitment to serving communities across the United States and beyond.
Printed underneath each mural is the town or city and state in which the work of art is located. The words “Post Office Murals,” “Forever” and “USA” run along the bottom of the stamps. The stamp issuance includes two of each design.
The Postal Service™ has committed to the upkeep of these classic paintings. USPS® currently has a federal preservation officer and historian to help maintain the murals and also educate the public about their place in postal lore. Today, many of these works have been restored and remain on display for the public to enjoy.
Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamps.
The Post Office Murals stamps were issued as Forever® stamps. These Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.
Stamp Art Director, Designer, and Typographer
Antonio Alcalá
Antonio Alcalá served on the Postmaster General’s Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee from 2010 until 2011, when he left to become an art director for the U.S. Postal Service's stamp development program.
He is founder and co-owner of Studio A, a design practice working with museums and arts institutions. His clients include: the National Gallery of Art, Library of Congress, National Portrait Gallery, National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Phillips Collection, and Smithsonian Institution. He also lectures at colleges including the Corcoran College of Art + Design, SVA, Pratt, and MICA.
In 2008, his work and contributions to the field of graphic design were recognized with his selection as an AIGA Fellow. He has judged international competitions for the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, AIGA, and Graphis. Alcalá also serves on the Smithsonian National Postal Museum and Poster House Museum’s advisory councils. His designs are represented in the AIGA Design Archives, the National Postal Museum, and the Library of Congress Permanent Collection of Graphic Design.
Alcalá graduated from Yale University with a BA in history and from the Yale School of Art with an MFA in graphic design. He lives with his wife in Alexandria, Virginia.