Wednesday, September 09, 2020

USPS Voices of the Harlem Renaissance Stamps

I know many of you collect stamps in the USPS Black Heritage series and try to stay up to date with new stamp releases. While you may know of the 2020 Gwen Ifill stamp issued before the pandemic you may not have heard of the Voices of the Harlem Renaissance stamps released in May of 2020.

Issued May 21 in a pane of 20, the nondenominated (55¢) forever stamps honor novelist Nella Larsen; bibliophile and historian Arturo Alfonso Schomburg; poet Anne Spencer; and writer, philosopher, educator and arts advocate Alain Locke, who is known as the dean of the Harlem Renaissance.

“The stamps feature stylized pastel portraits of the honorees that incorporate African-inspired motifs as background elements,” according to the Postal Service. “The design elements reflect the increased interest in African culture, history, and aesthetics shown by the writers and artists of the Harlem Renaissance.”

USPS art director Greg Breeding designed the new Voices of the Harlem Renaissance stamps.

The pane of 20 includes a decorative header which shows a cityscape in silhouette with a sun in its midst. Block lettering spells out the title of the issue, “Voices of the Harlem Renaissance.”

The Voices of the Harlem Renaissance stamps will be sold only in full panes of 20 for $11 at post offices and online here: https://store.usps.com/store/product/buy-stamps/voices-of-the-harlem-renaissance-S_476404.

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