@nationalpostalmuseum

The James Webb Space Telescope, the largest and most sensitive ever launched, can peer to the limits of the known universe. The U.S. Postal Service will celebrate this remarkable device with the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope Forever stamp, to be first issued at a special ceremony at the National Postal Museum on Thursday, September 8 at 11am EDT. Stamps and other commemorative philatelic materials will be available for purchase onsite. Art director Derry Noyes was the designer for the stamp, using existing art by James Vaughan and an image provided by NASA/Space Telescope Science Institute. The first-day-of-issue event is free and open to the public. ©️ United States Postal Service. All rights reserved. #WebbTelescopeStamp

On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment became law. USPS issued this commemorative stamp in August 2020 to celebrate the centennial of the Amendment’s ratification. Taking inspiration from historical photographs, artist Nancy Stahl depicts suffragists marching together. Their attire and banners represent the official colors of the National Woman’s Party — purple, white and gold. The fight for women's suffrage did not end in 1920 with the 19th Amendment. Many women—including African American women, Native American women, and Asian American women—were still denied access to the ballot. ©USPS; all rights reserved. #OTD #19thAmendment

The National Postal Museum recently received 92 original works of art which were used to create postage stamps issued over the past decade. These items are part of a larger collection of over 6,000 works of art that constitute the Postmaster General’s Collection held by the United States Postal Service. The art was reviewed by the museum's accessions officer and paper conservator, and condition reports were created for each object. The art represents a broad range of mixed media works, many of which consist of acrylic and pastel on board. 1️⃣ Recent work has focused on stabilizing the most fragile of these items, including six unfixed pastels on paper used for the Great Film Directors Forever Stamp Series (2012) featuring John Ford, Frank Capra, Billy Wilder, and John Huston. 2️⃣ Masking tape, which can result in permanent stains and embrittlement of paper if left in place too long, was removed from the surface of the artwork using a combination of heat and low-level mechanical pressure. 3️⃣ Careful removal of the tape was necessary in order to avoid tearing the paper or disrupting the fragile pastel surface. Once the tape carrier was fully detached, residual adhesive was removed with a crepe eraser in order to avoid the use of solvents. 4️⃣ The artwork was re-mounted onto acid free matboard with non-adhesive corner mounts and placed in custom designed boxes which allow for easy display and secure long-term storage in the museum’s climate-controlled storage area. 5️⃣ Great Film Directors First-Class Forever stamps. ©United states Postal Service. All rights reserved. #philately #BehindTheScenes

Wed. Sept. 14 | 7-8pm EDT Meet us on Zoom or in person at the museum for a special book talk with the curators behind Between Home and the Front: Civil War Letters of the Walters Family. A book signing will be held after the talk in the museum atrium for those attending in person. Please register at the link in our bio to attend or view online. Between Home and the Front… presents previously unpublished letters from the Walters family's collection held by the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum. This collection includes the exchange of correspondence between the home front and frontline, a perspective not often seen in historical records. The publication provides a glimpse into the emotions and news that Private David Walters of the 5th Indiana Cavalry and his wife Rachel shared in their correspondence. Rachel became the hub of communication for the family, often receiving missives from David's brothers, Isaac and John Wesley, both of whom served with Indiana units, and relaying the information to friends and family. Between Home and the Front: Civil War Letters of the Walters Family is a work of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, edited by Lynn Heidelbaugh and Thomas Paone, curatorial staff of the National Postal Museum and National Air and Space Museum (respectively), and was published by Indiana University Press in 2022. 📷: Front cover of book called "Between Home and the Front: Civil War Letters of the Walters Family." The cover is sepia, resembling a letter with faded cursive writing, and two stylized illustrations: one of a women in mid 19th century clothing kneeling and praying while looking out a window and another of a man in a Civil War uniform holding a rifle and sitting alone by a fire, his head bowed.

We’re celebrating #WorldPhotographyDay with some of our favorite snaps of Owney! During the late 1800s, this playful and proud stray terrier named Owney was the nation’s most famous canine. He even had fans all the way across the world! After wandering into an Albany, New York post office during a rainstorm, Owney curled up among the sacks of mail where he was eventually discovered by the mail clerks, one of whom (allegedly named Owen) promptly adopted him. A loyal and energetic companion, Owney – who developed a lifelong affection for mail bags – took to accompanying carriers on their routes; at first, riding along in mail wagons. As mail delivery methods progressed, Owney began to travel with the bags on Railway Post Office (RPO) train cars across the state . . . and then the country! At a time when train wrecks and robberies were all too common, railway mail clerks considered the dog a good luck charm as no train Owney rode was ever in a wreck or robbery. In 1895, Owney even made an around-the-world trip, accompanying mailbags on trains and steamships to Asia and across Europe, before returning to Albany. These photographs were taken in the mid-1890s. Owney was commemorated with a U.S. postage stamp in 2011 and has made his forever home here with us at the National Postal Museum. Yes, that’s correct – you can see Owney in the flesh at the museum thanks to a handful of mail clerks who collected money to pay for the taxidermy procedure after his death in 1897.

This Bonbobi or “Bobi” mailbox tells a modern story of community accessibility. In 2006, when the Southern Oaks Community of Santa Clarita, California, discovered their curbside mailboxes were not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), they went in search of a better option. Their number one concern was finding a mailbox with proportions that would allow a wheelchair to pass along the sidewalk without interference. Their research led them to the Bobicompany, which was founded in 1991 in Finland by two brothers. Bobi mailboxes come in eight different styles and eight different color options. The mailboxes are made of 20-gauge (1 mm) stainless or zinc plated steel covered with a polyester coating. All of the Bobi designs are approved for use by the USPS. This mailbox's vertical design offered ADA compliance as well as a large capacity. It even has a locking feature that reassured any residents who were concerned about mail fraud and identity theft. The community also appreciated the sleek, pleasant design: the curb appeal. The Southern Oaks Civic Association replaced 279 mailboxes in their community with Bobi mailboxes, modifying existing posts as mounts. The museum acquired this white Bobi mailbox in 2007. It was one of the boxes ordered for the Southern Oaks project, although it was never used in the community. The Bobi mailbox is the first mailbox manufactured in the 21st century to be added to the museum's permanent collection.

Virtual Highlights Tour | Thursday, August 18 | 6-7pm EDT | Zoom Enjoy a live, virtual highlights tour guided by Postal Museum docents! Presented by an expert panel of docents each showcasing their own favorite objects, this participatory tour brings the Smithsonian to you. What can we learn about American history when we look at it through the lens of mail and communication? What is the connection between Amelia Earhart and the mail? What role have stamps played in history? Who is Owney the dog and why was he so famous? Come learn all that and more on an engaging virtual tour that covers highlights of the National Postal Museum collection. Please register in advance at the link in our bio. Recommended for ages 12+. Email [email protected] with questions or if any accommodations may be needed. USPS issued these stamps on the Postal Museum’s opening day: July 30, 1993. The stamp designs—which convey moving through time by century—feature historical moments in U.S. postal history and depict objects and themes represented in the museum's inaugural exhibit galleries. The stamp depicting the 18th century features Benjamin Franklin, reflecting his career as printer, postmaster and statesmen. He is represented by a printing press, mail rider, and Independence Hall. A Civil War soldier, Concord stagecoach, and pony express rider embody the 19th century The 20th century is symbolized by airmail pilot Charles Lindbergh, a railway mail car, a 1931 Model A Ford mail truck, and JN-4H "Jenny" bi-plane #38262. The fourth stamp features the art of letter writing, using memorable words from a California gold rush letter; four prized U.S stamps (Scott 39 90c George Washington, Scott 295 2c Empire State Express, Scott C3a 24c Inverted Jenny, and Scott C13 65c Graf Zeppelin), an undated postmark from Milledgeville, Georgia, and a barcode representing contemporary mail processing technology. ©USPS. All rights reserved.

Middle and high school student artists are invited to join us at the museum this Saturday, August 13 at 11am for a special program with guest artist Rafael Lopez @rafaellopezillustration! Whether designing a small postage stamp or a large community mural, the techniques of composition and scale are the same. Rafael Lopez will examine representation, misrepresentation, and lack of representation in postage stamps as well as how he has portrayed communities and cultures in his murals. The artist will work with students on their own work related to the topic. This free program is generously supported by the TurningPoint Foundation. For more information and to register, please visit the link in our bio.

How would you like to take a spin on this Excelsior Auto-Cycle? Rural Free Delivery (RFD) service began as a Post Office Department experiment in 1896. Although city folk had enjoyed Free City Delivery since 1863, people in rural areas still had to travel (sometimes several miles) to the nearest town for their mail. Rural Free Delivery was a success and by June 1900, there were 1,214 RFD routes, serving an estimated 879,127 people in nearly every state. Rural Free Delivery became a permanent postal service in 1902. Since the introduction of RFD (and still today), rural letter carriers were (and are) responsible for their own transportation. At first, this meant by horseback, by buggies and wagons, and some by bicycle. Automobiles followed. In the early 1900s, many big city postmasters were already using motorcycles for their special messenger service, and as the number of rural delivery routes grew, manufacturers looked to these new rural carriers as an exciting new marketing opportunity ($$). Although motorcycles (like horses or bicycles) were not useful for rural carriers who carried large amounts of mail, they seemed to be a good alternative for carriers who were looking to trade in their four legs or two wheels for the next best thing, especially if a car was not an affordable option. Based in Chicago, IL, the Excelsior Motor Manufacturing & Supply Company built and sold motorcycles in the early 20th century. Advertisements proclaimed “You and those who rely on you can depend on the Excelsior.” Perfect for the ever dedicated rural mail carrier. #PostalHistory #motorcycle #USMail

Visit us TOMORROW between 11am-4pm for Music & Stamps Family Day with Guest Artist Rafael Lopez! We are proud to welcome special guest Rafael Lopez @rafaellopezillustration - the artist behind @uspostalservice’s brand new “Mariachi” stamps - as well as the mariachi band Cañas Y Su Mariachi Norteño, who will be filling the museum with their wonderful music throughout the day! The festival also includes games, story time with Lopez, crafts, and a scavenger hunt! This free program is generously supported by the TurningPoint Foundation. For more information, please visit the link in our bio! © United States Postal Service. All rights reserved. Photo courtesy Rafael Lopez. Photo courtesy Cañas Y Su Mariachi Norteño. #MariachiStamps #philately #mariachi #FamilyDay #LiveMusic

#OTD in 2001, USPS issued a non-denominated, pre-sorted first-class mail postcard rate (fifteen-cent value) “Woody Wagon” stamp in Denver, Colorado. Designed by Kevin Newman of Santa Monica, California, the stamp went on sale nationwide the following day. The bodies of the earliest automobiles were entirely wood—more or less refashioned horse-drawn carriages. Wood was cheaper than most metals and manufacturers were used to working with the material. As automobiles evolved, wooden frames became increasingly impractical and unsafe and were largely replaced by steel. In the 50s and 60s, however, real wood paneling reemerged as a symbol of luxury and class. Advertised as stylish cars for wealthy buyers with an eye for the old-world and refined, woodies came in several models including sedans, convertibles, and station wagons. As the wood was replaced with materials stylized to look like wood such as vinyl, plastic, and fiberglass, certain models were marketed as practical transportation for families who found woody wagons ideal for shopping trips and vacations (although genuine “woodies” continued to thrive in California). Full circle: the modern market has even seen several interpretations of the design, some featuring real wood. Nowadays, the classic woody is a favorite at automobile shows and among siblings engaged in deep-rooted road trip traditions. © United States Postal Service. All rights reserved. #philately #USPS #woodywagon

#OTD in 1993, the National Postal Museum first opened its doors to the public. 29 years and millions of visitors later, the core purpose of the museum remains: to share the remarkable story of the US postal system and its philatelic program. If the core purpose remains the same, how we tell that story has certainly changed. When we opened in 1993, we were using the optimum software available at the time for our computer interactives (disk operating system!), and the best media of the day to hold our videos (laserdiscs!). Today, not only is our technology upgraded to meet 21st century demands, but we celebrate our birthday online with our social media community. Social media—fantastical if not unimaginable in 1993, but now so commonplace and arguably essential for a museum in 2022. The museum’s tiny staff, with invaluable support from dozens of Smithsonian colleagues across the Institution, managed to pull off what seemed to many to be impossible: opening a Smithsonian museum in 33 months! And though we opened on time, everyone was working feverishly up to that last day. As Ted Wilson, NPM’s former Registrar recalled: “The day before it was like total chaos. We had cherry pickers in the atrium cleaning the airplanes. We had just swarms of people around and construction workers and everything and then there comes opening day…the museum was completely filled and it was very exciting.” Pictured here are visitors to the museum on July 30, 1993, enthusiastically lined up to purchase the block of four commemorative stamps issued for opening day, to obtain a first day of issue cover, to receive a unique cancel for the occasion, or all of the above. The National Postal Museum gratefully acknowledges the continued patronage and commitment of the United States Postal Service, as well as our generous and gracious donors. And a very sincere thanks to our visitors and supporters on social media. Without you, what would we even have to celebrate today? ©USPS; all rights reserved.

Do you Know Your Stuff? @AntiSocialStudies is dropping hints about a key object of its time in the @Smithsonian @NationalPostalMuseum. See if you can guess what it is! #KnowYourStuff

This summer, the National Postal Museum is excited to host Alice Fabela as part of the @uslatinomuseum Latino Museum Studies Program! Alice is passionate about exploring best practices for incorporating museum objects into projects and exhibitions that connect to broader historical contexts. Follow #SmithsonianLMSP today to learn more about the fellows and their practicum projects across the Smithsonian. Welcome, Alice! #AmericanLatinoMuseum

Join us at the museum on Saturday, August 6 from 11am—4pm for a celebration of USPS’s new “Mariachi” stamps designed by Rafael Lopez (@rafaellopezillustration)! This free family festival will feature music, games, crafts, and stories with Lopez. For more information on the program and accommodations, visit the link in our bio! The National Postal Museum is located at 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Washington DC 20002, right next to Union Station. It is accessible via the Red line (Union Station stop); street parking is also available behind the museum as well as on N. Capitol St. and Massachusetts Ave. Generously supported by the TurningPoint Foundation. ©United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.