Patriotic American flag poster stamp

Poster stamp from the Council Against Intolerance (CAIA) featuring an image of a female figure, likely Columbia, distributed between 1943 and 1944. Poster stamps were collectable stamps, slightly larger than postage stamps, with designs similar to posters. Although they were not valid for postage, poster stamps could be affixed to letters and envelopes as a means for fundraising, propaganda, and educational purposes. Columbia was a female personification of the United States, and her image was often placed on printed ephemera. She was modeled after Greek gods, often with fair skin and golden hair. She was also typically adorned in all white to symbolize purity; or with red, white, and blue, the colors of the U.S. flag. Images of Columbia were widely published throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, and she was often depicted as the embodiment of America. Her image was typically used in conjunction with issues of the day, including westward expansion, immigration, and war propaganda. Depictions of Columbia declined during the 20th century, and she was gradually replaced by Uncle Sam and Liberty. The CAIA was a New York-based group founded by James Waterman Wise in the 1938. The CAIA staged public gatherings, radio shows, and created teacher manuals and books that preached against intolerance and prejudice, arguing it was un-American, and would undermine national unity in a time of war.