The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-02-25
INDIAN GIRLS
PICTURE UGLY
Jamestown Exposition Stamps
Will Not Garry Likeness
of P0cah0ntas.
JOHN SMITH ALSO MISSING
LATTER LEFT OUT ON ACCOUNT
OF THE FORMER.
lspeeial ID The Herald.l

Special to The Herald)
Washington Feb. 24.-The bureau of
engraving and printing in Washington
Is preparing to print the new series OF
postage stamps 20 commemorate the
jamestown settlement. to be issued con-
temDoraneOusly with the opening of the
exposition at Norfolk. May 1.
The striking feature of these stamps
VIII be a negative one-none of the
stamps VIII portray either Captain John
Smith, whose life was saved by the Ind
ian maiden, PocahOntas. or Pocahontas
herself. Such a condition of affairs
seems almost as incOngrous to the half
million stamp collectors In the United
States as would the omission of Hamlet
in the Shakespearean tragedy of that
name and yet it is true
When the pOstOffice department., after
having previously turned down cold the
Lewis and Clark exposition people. who
IN accordance with previous custom,
asked for a special series of stamps for
the Portland exposition yielded to strong
pressure and finally agreed the James
town show should have special stamps,
II was Regarded as a fOregOne concur
sion that either POcahontas or Captain
John Smith, and probably both, would
be pictured on the stamps. The depart
ment officials charged with the issue of
stamps indicated to the public that
stamps would be received, and invited
them.
Suggestions Were Made. e..
As a result the department received
great numbers of suggestions
and large majority favored the depict
ing of Captain John Smith and Pocahcn-
tas upon the stamps. The officials of
the department were disposed to follow
the ideas so generally proposed and set
about obtaining photographs of the par
ties to the historic event which made
them famous. After having searched
the entire country for likenesses of Po-
cahontas. the department officials were
compelled to abandon absolutely the
thought of portraying the Indian maiden
upon postage stamp that would cir
culate among a civilized people Even
the photograph Of Pocahontas, which ap-
peared TO flatter her depicted n female
so ugly that men charged with RESPONSE
bihty for the production of stamp de-
declared il could not be: that POcahOntas
was simply impossible.
No Picture of Pocahontas.
Fairly good portraits of Captain John
smith were found, but It was not deemed
advisable to honor the gallant captain
without showing equal courtesy to the
dashlng redskin in petticoats, who had
saved his life at a time when life was
very dear TO him. Thus the hero of
jamestown suffers because of the lack
Of personal charms In his dusky savior
After eliminating Captain John Smith
and Pocahontas from the list of eligi-
bles. the department experts were COM
pletely at sea what to do. 1t was pro-
posed by many that a picture of the first
church erected IN America, at James
town, should adoTn one of the stamps
This church was in fact simply four
long poles stuck in the ground over
which was spread a ships sail. The en-
gravers at the bureau OF engraving and
printing did not seem to think this could
be worked up into a satisfactory design
and II was also abandoned.
Water Scene of One Stamp.
II has, however, been decided that one
of the stamp shall depict a water scene
group of people standing by the ocean
and welcoming or bidding adieu fleet
OF vessels standing out from the land.
ms design has been approved and the
engraVers are now al work on the plate
The design for the other stamp has not
been selected.
The series; if indeed it can be termed
q series" will consist of but two
stamps Of the value of one and two
cents. A strong effort was made to in
crease this number to three so as to
include a five-cent denomination for for
eisn postage. but the department adj
hered to its original purpose to restrict
the stamps to two denominations
Fifth of the Series.
The Jamestown stamps will be the
1itu commemorative series issued by the
department. First came the Columbian
series, in 1893. comprising sixteen de-
nominations from one cent to five dollars
generally regarded as among the most
beautiful stamps ever issued The Omaha
or the Trans Mississippi series followed
in 1898 with nine denominations from one
cent to two dollars. Next came the Buff
falo or Pan-American series, famous be-
cause of their two colors and the scarce
copies with the central picture upside
lou - 81. a
sells at about $500 This series appeared
in 1901 and consisted only of one two.
four five, eight and ten-cent denomina-
tons In 1898 the department issued the
stamps. still further reducing the number
of values to five. the one, two, three,
five and ten cents
The department was adverse TO giving
the jamestown people more than a single
special stamp. the two-cent deuomina-
ton. but finally agreed to include the
one-cent- With only the two values,
three stamps will be required to frank
a letter to foreign country and a par
eel requiring ten-eent postage will need
eight stamps. The stamps for James,
town will be about the size of the Pan
American. slightly smaller than the cur
rent stamps. longer horizontally than
and will be printed in one
color. the twO-cent red. and the one
cent green. These stamps will be on sale
contemporaneouS with the exposition and
their sale will cease with the close of the
show, although the stamps will still be
good for postage. as are all commemor-
alive stamps ever issued by the United
States. The stamps will be supplied to
all Dostmasters asking for them, but IL
IS understood the regular issue win be
supplied patrons unless the special
stamps are asked for.
Several millions of collectors through
put the world are eagerly awaiting the
appearance OF the new stamps. and a
sufficient number will be sold to col
ectors to pay the cost of making the
new designs and plates.