National Postal Museum Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with a New Online Featured Collection

The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum has launched another featured collection on the award-winning Web site, Arago, titled “People and Places of the Pacific.” This collection honors Asian Pacific Americans featured on U.S. postage stamps at www.arago.si.edu.

The postage stamps presented in “People and Places of the Pacific” highlight the ways in which the Pacific is part of American history and provide insight into the political relations and significant historical events between the United States and the nations of the Pacific. These stamps document the rich heritage and culture of the region and the contributions its inhabitants have made to the United State; The collection also includes the rare Hawaii “Missionary” stamps and the Guam overprint stamps.

Arago is dedicated to the online presentation of the museum’s vast collections. Stunning high-resolution images and associated stories are presented by curators, expert volunteer researchers, museum staff and guest writers. The virtual museum never closes, offering people around the world access to thousands of objects and online exhibits featuring philatelic and postal history treasures. Visit it at www.arago.si.edu.

The National Postal Museum is devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service and showcasing one of the largest and most comprehensive collection of stamps and philatelic material in the world. It is located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue N.E., Washington, D.C., across from Union Station. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). For more information about the Smithsonian, please call (202) 633-1000 or TTY (202) 633-5285. Visit the museum Web site at www.postalmuseum.si.edu.

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