About This Stamp
This stamp commemorated the 250th anniversary of the repeal of the Stamp Act, British legislation that American colonists condemned as “taxation without representation.”
Parliament passed the Stamp Act on March 22, 1765. Every American colonist would feel the sting of the act, since it required payment of a tax on a wide array of paper materials, such as newspapers, legal documents, mortgages, and contracts. A stamp embossed on these papers indicated payment of the tax.
Public sentiment was so strongly opposed to the act that enforcement was all but impossible. A boycott of British goods in many colonial cities also began to have an economic impact. Merchants on both sides of the Atlantic added their voices to the call for repeal of the act. In response to massive resistance, Britain repealed the Stamp Act on March 18, 1766.
Illustrated by noted historical painter Greg Harlin, the stamp depicts a crowd gathered around a “liberty tree” in 1766 to celebrate the repeal. The selvage area displays a proof print of a one-penny revenue stamp and includes a famous slogan from the era: “Taxation without representation is tyranny.” Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp and the pane.
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.
Stamp Artist
Greg Harlin
Illustrator Greg Harlin has always called the Washington, D.C. area home. A comic book collector as a child, Harlin got his artistic start by copying the art in his favorite issues. His mother’s affinity for Andrew Wyeth also helped shape his desire for a life in the arts from a young age.
Shortly after receiving his B.F.A. in graphic design from the University of Georgia in 1980, Harlin began working for a large illustration company in Atlanta. In 1981, he switched gears, signing on with a small design firm in Annapolis, Maryland, which he loved so much that he never left.
From his first painting of a colonial minuteman, which still hangs in his childhood home, Harlin has loved capturing historical subjects. This interest opened the door to working with some of his favorite clients, including National Geographic, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Park Service. Harlin has also illustrated five children’s books covering several topics from American history; among them are We the People, Hanukkah at Valley Forge, and Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride.
Through his historical watercolors, Harlin is able to see “life come into [his] subjects; moving and changing, they become real.” Harlin’s eye for meticulous detail and knack for uncovering stories have won him national acclaim.
When he isn’t painting, Harlin likes to soak up the rich history in the nation’s capital. He currently works and lives in Annapolis with several cats.
Harlin's projects for the U.S. Postal Service include The War of 1812: Fort McHenry (2014), The War of 1812: Battle of New Orleans (2015), Repeal of the Stamp Act, 1766 (2016), Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor (2020), and Battlefields of the American Revolution (2025).