Women on United States Postage Stamps | 
 enlarge | Authors: Anita Price Davis, Louise Hunt
Publisher: McFarland
Category: Book
List Price: $55.00
Buy New: $44.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 1481235
Media: Library Binding
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 328
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 10.1 x 7.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0786431245
Dewey Decimal Number: 769.5630973
EAN: 9780786431243
ASIN: 0786431245
Publication Date: May 1, 2008
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Condition: New Book. Hardbound.
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Product Description
In 1893, the United States Postal Service issued the first stamp featuring a woman, Queen Isabella I, on the occasion of the World's Columbian Exposition, a World's Fair held in Chicago honoring Christopher Columbus and those who aided in his achievements. Fourteen years later, on the centennial anniversary of her death, a stamp was issued bearing Martha Washington's likeness, making her the first American woman so honored. From here, this volume examines more than 200 stamps honoring or commemorating women and women's rights.
Grouped by subject matter, the stamps are divided into 18 categories such as artists and works of art; books; entertainment; organizations; pioneers and writers. Entries provide a plethora of information including the color, denomination and method of production; date and particulars of issuance; the number of stamps issued; and the number of first-day cancels as well as specific information regarding these cancellations. The birth and death date of the subject; facts about the designer and the inscription; and any reported errors are also noted where applicable. Finally, each entry features a biographical summary of the subject and a concise bibliography of further resources. A glossary of terms related to stamps and philately is included.
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A superb resource for topical collectors July 12, 2008
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
A review of this book in the July 2008 American Philatelist defines the joy for a stamp collector: "[I]t's great fun to wander through the different categories reading the bios or other background information. I guarantee you'll come away with an appreciation of the often too-little-known role played by women in American history." In a very real sense, recognizing women's accomplishments is a wonderful tribute to women in America.
The honor role is long, and should and will be longer -- the postal service has announced the issue of more women's stamps, and special interest groups continually campaign for further recognition.
As a stamp collector, one of my many favorites for this honor is Mary Katherine Goddard, who along with her brother and mother, set up a printing press in Providence, Rhode Island and published the town's first newspaper, when she was only 24 years old. In 1773, she moved to Baltimore and started another local paper, which became one of the best in the colonies. She edited the paper single-handedly from 1775 until 1785, during which time she was also named Baltimore postmaster, a position she held until 1789 when the Postmaster General determined that the position needed to be held by a man. She appealed to President George Washington, to no avail.
She would join a long list of accomplished women: Women's rights were first represented with a stamp for Susan B. Anthony in 1936. Others include Pocahontas (1907), Molly Pitcher (1928), Betsy Ross (1952), Sacajawea (1954), Louisa May Alcott (1940), Katherine Anne Porter (2006), Emily Dickinson (1971), Pearl S. Buck (1983), Margaret Mitchell (1986), Mary Cassatt (1966), Georgia O'Keefe (1996), Jessie Willcox Smith (2001), Amelia Earhart (1963), Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1981), Jane Addams (1940), Clara Barton (1948), Juliette Gordon Lowe (1948), Helen Keller (1980), Mary McLeod Bethune (1985), Nellie Bly (2002), Marguerite Higgins (2002), Ethel Payne (2002), Ida Tarbell (2002), Fanny Brice (1991), Grace Kelley (1993), Lucille Ball (2001), Audrey Hepburn (2003), Judy Garland (2006), Billie Holiday (1994), Ethel Merman (1994), Mahalia Jackson (1998), Marian Anderson (2004) and Patsy Cline (1993).
The first woman to be portrayed on U.S. stamps was Queen Isabella I (for the 1892 Columbian Exposition issue) followed by Martha Washington in 1902. There were a few stamps depicting women issued over the next forty years including the Statue of Liberty and Whistler's mother. 1940 marks the beginning of a greater recognition of the role of women, and today there are over 200 issues.
Each stamp is carefully described here, and shown in black and white and again in full color. Each entry contains a short biography and an excellent reference for further study.
The USPS regularly publishes The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps 34th ed., which lists all U.S. postage stamps and provides other useful information and illustrations. It provides an official update to Women on United States Postage Stamps, with some, but not all of the information presented in this fine book.
Altogether, this is an excellent tribute to American women, and an inspiration to men and women.
Robert C. Ross 2008
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