About This Stamp
With this stamp, the U.S. Postal Service recognizes the centennial of the birth of Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), America’s 40th President.
Reagan was a Hollywood actor who appeared in more than fifty films before becoming a prominent political leader. He is often credited with bolstering the conservative movement in America, moving it from the margins to the mainstream of politics and government.
Reagan launched his political career in a nationally televised address in 1964 endorsing the conservative Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. He later served as governor of California and became a candidate for President. In 1980, Reagan defeated the incumbent President Jimmy Carter in the general election and was sworn into office on January 20, 1981.
As President, Reagan sought to inspire renewed confidence in the nation. In his Inaugural Address, he declared, “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” Reagan also sought to inspire a belief in freedom abroad, especially among those living in Communist countries. During his second term, Reagan and his counterpart in the Soviet Union, Mikhail S. Gorbachev, negotiated reductions in nuclear arsenals and helped bring about an end to the Cold War.
Illustrator Bart Forbes created the stamp art in oil wash on board. He based it on a photograph of Reagan taken in 1985 at his ranch near Santa Barbara, California, during his second term as President.
The Ronald Reagan stamp is being issued in panes of 20 self-adhesive Forever® stamps. Forever® stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.
Stamp Art Director, Stamp Designer
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.
Stamp Artist
Bart Forbes
Born in Oklahoma, Bart Forbes earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of North Carolina and continued his studies at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.
In more than four decades as one of America's most successful illustrators, Forbes has created artwork for major sporting events including the Kentucky Derby, America's Cup, the Indianapolis 500, the Boston Marathon, the Olympic Games, the Westminster Dog Show, and numerous PGA tournaments. He has also created art for many of America's top magazines including TIME and Sports Illustrated. Among his many corporate clients are NBC, Exxon, Pepsi-Cola, Eastman Kodak, Lockheed, ABC, ESPN, and the National Football League. The Sports Art of Bart Forbes, a collection of many of his famous sports paintings, was published in 1998. His paintings can be found in the private collections of former President George H.W. Bush, Arnold Palmer, Pat Summerall, Tiger Woods, and Jerry Jones.
Forbes, who works from his studio near Dallas, Texas, has recently become interested in a new genre of oil painting embodying primarily landscape and still-life themes painted over richly-textured surfaces.
Forbes has designed 22 postage stamps for the United States Postal Service®, including the 1985 Abigail Adams and 1989 Lou Gehrig commemoratives, five Olympians stamps in 1990, the 1989 America the Beautiful postal cards, the 2011 Ronald Reagan stamp, and the 2016 Sarah Vaughan stamp.