The Postal Service’s latest U.S. Flag stamp continues a tradition that began more than a century ago.
Stamps featuring the American flag have evolved to reflect changes to the nation itself.
Here are six facts about the U.S. Flag and its depiction on postage stamps:
• Flag Day was first proclaimed in 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson. Observed every year on June 14, it commemorates the first Flag Resolution, which was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on that day in 1777.
• The U.S. Flag Code was created in 1923. The code became the basis for the 1942 federal law that provides guidelines for the use and display of the flag. According to the code, the Stars and Stripes can be displayed every day, not just on federal and state holidays and other days proclaimed by the president.
• The first U.S. flag stamp was issued in 1869, but it wasn’t until 1957 that stamps began featuring full-color images. On July 4, 1957, the Post Office Department issued a 4-cent stamp that depicted a 48-star flag — the first stamp to depict the flag in red, white and blue. To produce the stamps, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing used a special press for the first time.
• Not everyone was a fan of the 1957 stamp. Postage requires cancellation, and some were opposed to the release of a full-color flag stamp because they saw the cancellation as a desecration of the flag.
• A 1963 4-cent stamp was the first to show the American flag with 50 stars. As stipulated by Congress in 1818, the number of stars on the flag has to match the number of states, with a new star added on the Independence Day following a state’s entrance into the union. The flag’s 50th star was added on July 4, 1960, after Hawaii became a state in 1959.
• U.S. flags are now stamp fixtures. Many stamps depicting the flag have been issued over the years. These include stamps that show Old Glory flying over landmarks such as the White House and the U.S. Capitol, and being raised during historic moments such as the 1969 moon landing and at Ground Zero in New York City in 2001, as well as releases that showcase the flag itself.
