| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Date of Issue | February 18, 2014 |
| Year | 2014 |
| Quantity | 30,000,000 |
| Denomination |
91-cent Definitive
|
| Denomination Value | $0.91 |
| Perforation or Dimension | 1.56 x 0.99 in./39.62 x 25.15 mm |
| Series | Literary Arts |
| Series Time Span | 1996 - 2016 |
| Issue Location | Kansas City, MO 64108 (No Event) |
| Postal Administration | United States |
On February 18, 2014, in Kansas City, Missouri, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Ralph Ellison 91-cent definitive stamp, in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps. The 91-cent value meets the new rate for First-Class Mail® weighing up to three ounces. The stamp will go on sale nationwide February 18, 2014.
The Ralph Ellison 91-cent Stamps is the 29th stamp in the Literary Arts series honoring author Ralph Ellison (1913-1994). With his 1952 novel Invisible Man, a masterpiece of 20th-century fiction, Ellison drew on a wide range of narrative and cultural traditions, shedding vivid light on the African-American experience while setting a new benchmark for all American novelists.
The stamp art is an oil-on-panel painting featuring a portrait of Ellison based on a black-and-white photograph by Ellison's friend Gordon Parks, a renowned staff photographer for Life magazine. The photo appeared on the back of the dust jacket of the first edition of Invisible Man in 1952.
The background of the stamp art shows a Harlem street at twilight.
Drawing deeply on European and American literature as well as jazz, the blues, African-American folklore, and popular culture, Invisible Man won the National Book Award in 1953. Ellison's nonfiction writing, especially the 1964 collection Shadow and Act, has also been praised for providing touchstones for black artists who loved American culture but often felt excluded by it.
The artwork for this stamp was created by Kadir Nelson. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp.
Sold in sheets of 20, the 91-cent Ralph Ellison stamp is designed for the First-Class Mail® three-ounce rate.
Photo of Ralph Ellison courtesy of The Gordon Parks Foundation
Pane of 20 (1 Design)
The Ralph Ellison 91-cent Stamps is the 29th stamp in the Literary Arts series honoring author Ralph Ellison (1913-1994). With his 1952 novel Invisible Man, a masterpiece of 20th-century fiction, Ellison drew on a wide range of narrative and cultural traditions, shedding vivid light on the African-American experience while setting a new benchmark for all American novelists.
The stamp art is an oil-on-panel painting featuring a portrait of Ellison based on a black-and-white photograph by Ellison's friend Gordon Parks, a renowned staff photographer for Life magazine. The photo appeared on the back of the dust jacket of the first edition of Invisible Man in 1952.
The background of the stamp art shows a Harlem street at twilight.
Drawing deeply on European and American literature as well as jazz, the blues, African-American folklore, and popular culture, Invisible Man won the National Book Award in 1953. Ellison's nonfiction writing, especially the 1964 collection Shadow and Act, has also been praised for providing touchstones for black artists who loved American culture but often felt excluded by it.
The artwork for this stamp was created by Kadir Nelson. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp.
Sold in sheets of 20, the 91-cent Ralph Ellison stamp is designed for the First-Class Mail® three-ounce rate.
Made in the USA.
Photo of Ralph Ellison courtesy of The Gordon Parks Foundation