Skip to main content

Search

❤ My Visit  Donate

Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Hours and Locations
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Mall Museum Map
    • Dining
    • Shopping
    • Accessibility
    • Group Visits
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current Exhibitions
      • Upcoming
      • Past Exhibitions
      • Online Exhibitions
    • Today's Events
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
  • Explore
    • Art & Design
    • History & Culture
    • Science & Conservation
    • Collections
      • Open Access
      • Smithsonian Snapshot
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Freer and Sackler Archives
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries' Special Collections
    • Blogs
    • Podcasts
    • Mobile Apps
  • Learn
    • For Kids and Teens
    • For Educators
      • Resources
      • Field Trips
      • Professional Development
      • Events
    • Youth Programs
    • Fellowships and Internships
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Visitor Information Specialist
      • Docent Programs
    • Citizen Science
    • Work with Us
      • Office of Human Resources
        • Working Here
        • Employee Benefits
        • Job Opportunities
        • How to Apply
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • SI Civil Program
        • Contact Us
      • Affiliations
      • Global Partners
  • Support
    • About Membership
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Your Membership
    • Make a Gift
  • About
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Research Centers
    • Cultural Centers
    • Education
    • Our Organization
      • Leadership
        • Secretary Bunch
        • Advancement
        • Communications
        • Administration
        • Education
        • Museums and Culture
        • Science and Research
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Contact
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Records Request Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Equal Employment Office
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Special Emphasis Program
        • Supplier Diversity Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Policies and Procedures
          • Additional Resources
          • Goals and Accomplishments
      • Sponsored Projects
        • Policies
          • Animal Care and Use
          • Human Research
        • Reports
        • Internships
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
        • One Smithsonian
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

8c Love single

National Postal Museum

Addthis Share Tools

    • Print

Object Details

Description
In 1972 the US Postal Service commissioned pop artist Robert Indiana to turn his painting of the word 'Love', created for the Museum of Modern Art's 1965 Christmas card, into a postage stamp. It was released in Philadelphia, the "City of Brotherly Love," on January 26, 1973, in time for Valentine's Day.
The Postal Service's Office of Philatelic Affairs was flooded with complimentary letters and, when the first-class postage rate rose to ten cents in 1974, it received numerous suggestions to reissue the stamp at the new denomination. But not everyone loved the Love stamp. One postal customer dubbed it the 'Hippie Stamp'; another suggested that it resembled "something concocted on a hashish couch.'
The 8-cent stamp paid the domestic first-class letter rate. It was printed in red, green, and violet blue ink on the Andreotti press in sheets of 200. These were further divided into four panes containing fifty stamps each for shipment to post offices. The art director for the stamp was Bradbury Thompson.
The Postal Service did not call this issue a 'Love' stamp, instead titling it "A Special Stamp for Someone Special." Another stamp featuring the word 'Love' was not issued until 1982, initiating a series that continues today.
Reference:
National Postal Museum Library, Papers of the Third Assistant Postmaster General and successor agencies, Stamp Design Files, Folder for Scott #1475.
Daniel Piazza, National Postal Museum
August 15, 2008
January 26, 1973
Object number
1980.2493.5899
Type
Postage Stamps
Dimensions
Height x Width: 1 x 1 9/16 in. (2.54 x 3.97 cm)
Place
United States of America
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
Title
Scott Catalogue USA 1475
National Postal Museum
Topic
Art & Photography
U.S. Stamps
Record ID
npm_1980.2493.5899
Metadata Usage (text)
Usage conditions apply
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm8e6821fe5-c144-475a-b58e-dab54fe1aa41

Related Content

  • Be My Valentine

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Press Room
  • Human Resources
  • Host Your Event
  • Access Smithsonian
  • EEO & Supplier Diversity
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Email signup form

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
Back to Top