page_title: Presidents of the United States on U.S. postage stamps
section_title: Washington issues, middle 20th century
hierarchical_section_title: Presidents of the United States on U.S. postage stamps / George Washington / Washington issues, middle 20th century
caption_attribution_description: English: Washington postage stamp, 1966
context_page_description: Presidents of the United States have frequently appeared on U.S. postage stamps since the mid-1800s. The United States Post Office Department released its first two postage stamps in 1847, featuring George Washington on one, and Benjamin Franklin on the other. The advent of presidents on postage stamps has been definitive to U.S. postage stamp design since the first issues were released and set the precedent that U.S. stamp designs would follow for many generations.
  The paper postage stamp itself was born of utility, as something simple and easy to use was needed to confirm that postage had been paid for an item of mail. People could purchase several stamps at one time and no longer had to make a special trip to pay for postage each time an item was mailed. The postage stamp design was usually printed from a fine engraving and were almost impossible to forge adequately. This is where the appearance of presidents on stamps was introduced. Moreover, the subject theme of a president, along with the honors associated with it, is what began to define the stamp issues in ways that took it beyond the physical postage stamp itself and is why people began to collect them.
context_section_description: On January 15, 1923, the Post Office issued another 2¢ red Washington postage stamp as part of its new definitive series, thus continuing the tradition of honoring Washington on everyday-use postage. An existing engraving of Washington made for use on the Washington–Franklin issue was used. That engraving, done by Marcus Baldwin, was modeled from a bust made by Clark Mills in 1853, which, in turn, was a reproduction of a bust sculpted by Jean Antoine Houdon at Washington's Mount Vernon home in 1785. Clair Aubrey Huston designed the stamp's frame, which was engraved by Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing.
  After the increase of the normal letter rate from 2 cents to 3 cents was announced in 1932, the Post Office acted to ensure that public would not be deprived of a definitive Washington stamp for its daily correspondence, a tradition that dated back more than sixty years. Rather than converting the 1923 definitive stamp to the new rate, the Post Office redesigned the 2 cent Washington Bicentennial value as a 3 cent regular-issue stamp, removing the original design's most conspicuous commemorative feature: the birth- and death-date ribbons flanking the portrait. This issue appeared on June 15, 1932, three weeks before the rate increase went into effect.
  On April 25, 1938, the Post Office issued a green 1-cent George Washington stamp. It was the first stamp of the Presidential Issue of 1938, an issue that placed all of the deceased presidents in numerical order and thus represented a break with the long-standing tradition of reserving the normal letter-rate definitive stamp for Washington. Instead, this Washington issue saw postal duty carrying postcards and letters through the late 1950s. The 1938 Presidential Issue was Franklin Roosevelt's idea. An avid stamp collector, Roosevelt suggested a set of stamps that would pay tribute to the various past American presidents. In 1937, after much debate, a new definitive series was issued using Roosevelt's ideas. A national contest was held, with over 1200 entries submitted, the entry of a young New York City art student, Elaine Rawlinson, was chosen for the Washington stamp design.
  The Post Office released the 1-cent Washington stamp on August 26, 1954, in Chicago, Illinois. The engraving of George Washington was modeled from a portrait by Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828). It was designed by Charles R. Chickering, who produced his own drawing from a photograph he obtained from the National Gallery. The portrait of Washington was engraved by Richard M. Bower of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
  On November 23, 1962, the Post Office issued the 5-cent Washington stamp, first issued through the New York, New York, post office. Designed by William K. Schrage, the engraving of Washington, like several other engravings of this president, is based on a bust of Washington sculpted in 1785 by Jean Houdon.
  On February 22, 1966, the Post Office issued the 5-cent blue Washington stamp. Bill Hyde designed the stamp after a portrait by Rembrandt Peale. Critics described Washington's appearance on this stamp as "pockmarked" and "unshaven", and a smoother-looking re-engraved version was issued on November 17, 1967.
caption: Issue of 1966
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