Red Cross

This stamp was issued to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the American Red Cross.

The stamp is printed in two colors, black and red, and is the same size as the regular issue, 0.75 by 0.87 inch, arranged as an upright rectangle. The stamp is inclosed in a border formed by a heavy black outer and lighter inner line slightly indented along the center on all four sides. Across the top of the stamp in two lines are the words "United States postage" in white-faced Roman lettering. The central design of the stamp, printed in black, is the figure of a Red Cross nurse kneeling before the globe with outstretched hands, reproduced from the 1930 poster entitled "The Greatest Mother." In the upper part of the stamp at the left of the figure is the Greek cross with five equal squares, the emblem of the organization, printed in red. Arranged vertically, opposite the indentation on either side, are the dates in black Gothic figures "1881" at the left and "1931" at the right. In both lower corners within white bordered ovals with black background appears the white numerals "2." The ovals are surmounted by acanthus scroll ornaments. Across the bottom of the stamp in a straight line between the ovals containing the denomination numeral is the word "Cents" in white Roman letters.

The Red Cross commemorative stamp was placed on sale May 21, 1931, at Washington, D.C., national headquarters of the American Red Cross, and Dansville, N.Y., where the first local chapter was established.