Washington Bicentennial stamps of 1932

The 2c Washington Bicentennial stamp, 1932 issue
This is one of a set of 12 stamps commemorating the 200th anniversary of George Washington, paid the common letter rate and was the most frequently used.

The Washington Bicentennial stamps of 1932 are postage stamps issued by the United States government in 1932 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of President George Washington's birth. Twelve stamps were issued as a collection, with each one depicting the President in a different period in his life.

The series was designed by Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) designers Clair Aubrey Huston and Alvin Meissner. The ½¢ through 10¢ values present portraits of Washington derived from paintings, engravings or sculptures made during his lifetime. Huston designed seven stamps of the series: the ½¢, 1½¢, 2¢, 3¢, 6¢, 8¢ and 9¢ values; Meissner designed the remaining five.

The selections were made based on recommendations made by the Washington Bicentennial Commission, The United States Post Office Department and the BEP. The original concept called for not only picturing Washington but also featuring significant events, locations and iconic images of his life and after death. This was later modified to featuring only portraits.^[1]^[2]

The Post Office announced definite plans for the series in November 1930. These soon took on grandiose proportions, with the projected series comprising no fewer than eighteen stamps covering all values between ½¢ and $5. By comparison the largest commemorative set previously offered by the Post Office—the landmark Columbian Exposition issue of 1893—had consisted of sixteen stamps. (No other previous commemorative set had run to more than the nine values of the 1898 Trans-Mississippi series.) Indeed, the wide format of the Columbians was initially chosen for the Washington Bicentennial stamps and, like the Columbians, they were to survey their subject’s entire career, presenting tableaux and portraits from all periods of Washington's life. In January 1931 a congressman went so far as to introduce a bill (never, however, enacted) proposing that during the whole of 1932 "all postage stamps offered for sale through the United States..., of whatever color or denomination, shall bear the portrait of George Washington." The numerous preparatory wide-format designs produced by the post office, including tableaux for 14¢, 17¢ and 25¢ denominations, were intended to be printed in two colors. Among the subjects depicted were Washington's tomb at Mount Vernon, Washington Crossing the Delaware, Washington's 1793 Inaugural, Washington's Home Life, Washington's Birthplace, Washington Resigning his Commission, a double portrait of George and Martha Washington, and the Washington Monument. Ultimately, however, the post office elected to avoid historical tableaux altogether, on the grounds that the public would expect these to replicate famous paintings rife with historical inaccuracies. Instead, the series would consist of single-width, single-color issues devoted exclusively to portraits, and would be reduced to twelve denominations ranging no higher than 10¢.^[3] A series of stamped envelopes showing Washington's home at Mount Vernon were also issued.^[4]

U.S. Washington Bicentennial Stamps (1932)
	½¢- Scott #704 The likeness of Washington taken from a miniature painted by Charles Willson Peale in 1777, the original of which is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (87,969,700 issued)^[2]
	1¢ - Scott #705 reproduction of the profile bust of Washington by Jean Antoine Houdon made in 1785 and now in Mount Vernon. (1,265,555,100 issued)^[2]
	1½¢ - Scott #706 The likeness of Washington modeled from a painting known as the Virginia Colonel made at Mount Vernon in 1772 by Charles Willson Peale, the original of which is now in Washington and Lee University. (304,926,800 issued)^[2]
	2¢ - Scott #707 The likeness of Washington by Gilbert Stuart from a painting made at Germantown, Pa., in 1796, known as the Atheneum portrait, the original of which is now in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. (4,222,198,300 issued)^[2]
	3¢ - Scott #708 The likeness of Washington in the uniform of a general with cocked hat reproduced from a portrait by Charles Willson Peale painted at Valley Forge in 1777. The original portrait is now in the State Normal School at West Chester, Pa. (456,198,500 issued)^[2]
	4¢ - Scott #709 The likeness of Washington taken from a painting by Charles Willson Peale. The painting was donated to the National Portrait Gallery by its former owner, Mr. William Patten, Rhinebeck, N.Y. (151,201,300 issued)^[2]
	5¢ - Scott #710 The likeness of Washington from a painting by Charles Willson Peale made in 1795, and now in the possession of the New York Historical Society. (170,565,100 issued)^[2]
	6¢ - Scott #711 representing Washington in the uniform of a general reproduced from a painting by John Trumbull in 1792, now in Yale University. (111,739,400 issued)^[2]
	7¢ - Scott #712 The portrait painted by John Trumbull in 1780, the original of which is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (83,257,400 issued)^[2]
	8¢ - Scott #713 The profile bust portrait of Washington facing to the left, reproduced from a crayon drawing made from life by Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin at Philadelphia in 1798. (96,506,100 issued)^[2]
	9¢ - Scott #714 The likeness of Washington modeled from a pastel portrait in the possession of the Masonic lodge of Alexandria, Va., for whom it was drawn from life by W. Williams in 1794. (75,709,200 issued)^[2]
	10¢ - Scott #715 The portrait of Washington taken from a painting by Gilbert Stuart in 1795, now in the possession of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. (147,216,000 issued)^[2]

The bicentennial stamps were first placed on sale January 1, 1932, at the post office in Washington, D.C.

While the bicentennial issue presents many unfamiliar images of Washington, the Post Office took care to place the widely loved Gilbert Stuart portrait of the president on the 2-cent stamp, which satisfied the normal first-class letter rate and would therefore get the most use. Several months after the series appeared, however, the first-class letter rate was raised from 2 cents to 3 cents. The greatly increased demand for 3-cent stamps remained unsatisfied by emergency reprintings of the 3-cent bicentennial issue and the 3-cent Lincoln regular issue then currently available. Moreover, the new rate meant that the only Washington stamp available to the public for everyday use was one that offered a little-known and quite uncharacteristic image of Washington. Accordingly, the Post Office felt obliged to rush a new regular issue 3-cent stamp into production that offered a more familiar Washington portrait. Rather than taking the time to create a completely new design, the BEP revamped the bicentennial 2-cent Atheneum value as a 3-cent stamp (Scott #720), transforming it into a regular issue by eliminating the date ribbons flanking the portrait. This was printed in the standard 3-cent color.^[3]

References

↑ Kloetzel, James E.; Jones, William A. (2010). Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers. Scott Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-89487-446-8.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Smithsonian National Postal Museum
1 2 King, Beverly; Johl, Max (1934). The United States Postage Stamps of the Twentieth Century, Volume II. H. L. Lindquist. , pp. 131ff.
↑ File:1932 US Stamped Envelope - Mount Vernon.jpg

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Washington Bicentennial Issue.

Portraits from: http://www.junior-philatelists.com/USStampsHistory32.htm
Illustrations from: http://www.arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&mode=2&tid=2033065

http://www.1847usa.com/ByYear/1932WashingtonBicentennials.htm

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Provisional stamps	Alexandria "Blue Boy" Postmaster's Provisional Gallery of U.S. Postmasters' Provisional Stamps, 1845–47 New York Postmaster's Provisional St. Louis Bears

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George Washington

1st President of the United States, 1789–1797 Senior Officer of the Army, 1798–1799 Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, 1775–1783 Second Continental Congress, 1775 First Continental Congress, 1774

Military career Revolutionary War	Military career French and Indian War Jumonville Glen Battle of Fort Necessity Forbes Expedition Washington and the American Revolution Commander-in-chief, Continental Army Boston campaign Siege of Boston New York and New Jersey campaign Delaware River crossing Battle of Trenton Philadelphia campaign Valley Forge Battles of Saratoga Yorktown campaign Siege of Yorktown Culper spy ring Newburgh Conspiracy Newburgh letter Established, Badge of Military Merit Purple Heart Aides-de-Camp Commander-in-Chief's headquarters Morristown and Ford Mansion Horses: Nelson and Blueskin

Other U.S. founding events	1769 Virginia Association Continental Association 1774 Fairfax Resolves Court of Appeals in Cases of Capture 1785 Mount Vernon Conference Chairman, 1787 Constitutional Convention

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Views and public image	Presidential library The Washington Papers Religious views Washington and slavery Town Destroyer Legacy

Life and homes	Early life Birthplace Ferry Farm boyhood home Mount Vernon Gristmill Woodlawn Plantation Samuel Osgood House, First Presidential Mansion Alexander Macomb House, Second Presidential Mansion President's House, Philadelphia Germantown White House Custis estate Potomac Company James River and Kanawha Canal Mountain Road Lottery Congressional Gold Medal Thanks of Congress President-General of the Society of the Cincinnati Washington College Washington and Lee University Electoral history of George Washington

Memorials and depictions	Washington, D.C. Washington state Washington Monument Mount Rushmore Washington's Birthday Purple Heart The Apotheosis of Washington George Washington (Houdon) George Washington (Ceracchi) Washington Crossing the Delaware Unfinished portrait Lansdowne portrait The Washington Family portrait Washington at Princeton painting George Washington University Washington University Washington Masonic National Memorial George Washington Memorial Parkway George Washington Bridge Washington and Jefferson National Forests Washington Monument, Baltimore Washington, D.C. statue List of monuments List of places U.S. Postage stamps Washington-Franklin Issues 1932 bicentennial Currency Washington quarter Washington dollar Cultural depictions George Washington (1984 miniseries 1986 sequel)

Related	Bibliography Founding Fathers of the United States Republicanism Federalist Party Federalist Era Virginia dynasty Coat of arms Cherry-tree anecdote River Farm Washington's Crossing 1751 Barbados trip Category Syng inkstand General of the Armies American Philosophical Society American Revolution patriots Mount Vernon Ladies' Association

Ancestry and family	Martha Washington (wife) John Parke Custis (stepson) George Washington Parke Custis (step-grandson, adopted son) Eleanor Parke Custis (step-granddaughter, adopted daughter) Augustine Washington (father) Mary Ball (mother) Lawrence Washington (half-brother) Augustine Washington Jr. (half-brother) Betty Washington Lewis (sister) Samuel Washington (brother) John A. Washington (brother) Charles Washington (brother) Lawrence Washington (grandfather) John Washington (great-grandfather) Bushrod Washington (nephew)

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Washington Bicentennial stamps of 1932

See also

References

External links