Set of four poster stamps with a dove of peace flying above America
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 3.125 inches (7.938 cm) | Width: 2.500 inches (6.35 cm)
Archival History
The poster stamp was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2018 by Forrest J. Robinson, Jr.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Forrest James Robinson, Jr.
Scope and Content
Set of four Peace for America poster stamps depicting a dove holding an olive branch flying over the continental United States. 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. Doves, and the image of a dove holding an olive branch, are traditional symbols of peace and love that can be traced back to antiquity. In the story of Noah, a dove returns to the ark with an olive branch indicating that there was dry land; with the bird and branch both symbolizing deliverance and God’s forgiveness. In ancient Japan, a dove carrying a sword symbolized the end of war. In 1949, Pablo Picasso’s work “Dove of Peace” was chosen as the emblem for the First International Peace Conference in Paris in 1949. Picasso later provided variations of his work for subsequent Peace Congresses in Wroclaw, Stockholm, Sheffield, Vienna, Rome and Moscow.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Four identical, rectangular poster stamps on white paper with a blue and white graphic design and an adhesive backing. The stamps are still joined, two on top and two on the bottom, with a perforated line running vertically and horizontally between the four stamps. Each stamp features a central image of a white and blue dove with an olive branch in its beak flying against a blue background. Below the dove is a line of clouds and the outline of the United States. There is a line of text along the top and a copyright symbol at the bottom, center. The image is bordered by a blue, double line and a white border surround.
Subjects
- United States.
- Poster Stamps.
- Peace.
- Doves in art.
Genre
- Object
- Posters
- Stamps.