Here are images of the U.S. Merchant Marine "forever" commemorative stamps printed by photogravure (Avery Dennison) and issued by the USA on July 28, 2011, Scott numbers not yet assigned.
- nethryk
Pane of 20 stamps.
Drawing upon contemporary lithographs of the 19th century ships and photographs of the 20th century ships, illustrator Dennis Lyall of Norwalk, CT, created these four stamp designs under the art direction of Carl T. Herrman of North Las Vegas, NV.
The Clipper Ship stamp is based on an undated Frank Vining Smith lithograph of the famous clipper
Sovereign of the Seas, which launched in 1852. Clipper ships, ushered in by the California Gold Rush of 1849 and noted for their streamlined shape and their majestic cloud of square-rigged sails, set numerous speed records in their time.
The Auxiliary Steamship stamp is based on contemporary lithographs of ships of the Collins Line, which provided service between New York and Liverpool in the 1850s. Auxiliary steamships — steam-powered ships with back-up sailing rigs — were the ocean liners of their day, competing in the 1850s with clipper and other sailing ships for trans-Atlantic mail and passenger service.
The Liberty Ship stamp is based on a photograph of an unidentified Liberty ship in the files of the Westport, CT, Public Library. During World War II, the United States built more than 2,700 Liberty ships — plain but sturdy cargo vessels that sustained the Allied forces with a steady supply of food and war material.
The Container Ship stamp is based on an undated photograph of the
R.J. Pfeiffer, a modern container ship launched in 1992 and operated by Matson Navigation Company.
Posted 05/25/2011 6:36 pm
