About This Stamp
On May 15, 1918, in the midst of World War I, a small group of Army pilots delivered mail along a route that linked Washington, Philadelphia, and New York — initiating the world's first regularly scheduled airmail service. The United States Post Office Department took charge of the “U.S. Air Mail Service” later that summer, operating it from August 12, 1918, through September 1, 1927.
In honor of the 100th anniversary of the beginning of airmail service, the Postal Service™ issued two stamp designs in 2018. The first stamp, United States Air Mail Blue, commemorated the pioneering spirit of the brave Army pilots who initiated airmail service on May 15, 1918. Rendered in blue and printed in intaglio, the stamp features a drawing of the type of plane typically used in the early days of airmail, a Curtiss JN-4H biplane. This second stamp, United States Air Mail Red, identical to the first except for being rendered in red, commemorated the beginning of airmail delivery through the U.S. Post Office Department on August 12, 1918, and pays tribute to the foresight of those who fostered airmail service and made it a success.
For the service to succeed in the early days of flight, the Post Office had to develop profitable routes, such as between New York and Chicago, and to establish the infrastructure for safely making night flights. It set up lighted airfields and erected hundreds of airmail guide beacons between New York and San Francisco so that by 1924 regularly scheduled, transcontinental flying was possible, day and night.
Airmail delivery, daily except on Sundays, became part of the fabric of the American economy and spurred the growth of the nation’s aviation industry.
The stamp designer and typographer was Dan Gretta; Greg Breeding was the art director.
The United States Air Mail Red stamp was issued as a Forever® stamp. This Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.
Stamp Art Director
Greg Breeding
Greg Breeding is a graphic designer and principal of Journey Group, a design company he co-founded in 1992, located in Charlottesville, Virginia. He was creative director until 2013, at which time he began serving as president and continued in that role through 2023.
Breeding’s fascination with modernism began while studying design at Virginia Commonwealth University. His affinity with the movement continues and motivates his ongoing advanced studies at the Basel School of Design in Switzerland most every summer.
As an art director for postage stamp design since 2012, Breeding has designed more than 100 stamps covering a diverse array of subjects, from Star Wars droids and Batman to Harlem Renaissance writers and the transcontinental railroad.
His work has been recognized in annual design competitions held by Graphis, AIGA, PRINT magazine, and Communication Arts.
Breeding lives in North Garden, Virginia, with his wife and enjoys nothing so much as frolicking on the floor with his grandchildren.
Stamp Designer and Typographer
Dan Gretta
Dan Gretta, a native of Allentown, NJ, received his Bachelor of Science in graphic design communication from Philadelphia University in 2008. He has received numerous awards and recognition for his work in branding, packaging, and advertising.
Dan began collecting found imagery at an early age. His love for vintage illustration has always found a place in his design work. Using modern tools and techniques, Dan creates a similar style with well-designed groundwork and sensible typography, resulting in a contemporary aesthetic with a nod toward history.
The 2018 United States Air Mail Blue and United States Air Mail Red stamps were his first projects for the U.S. Postal Service. Most recently, Dan was the illustrator and typographer for two stamps issued in 2025 to build awareness for the 2026 Boston World Stamp Show.