In 2008, the U.S. Postal Service® will introduce Flags of Our Nation, a 3-year, multi-stamp series, featuring the Stars and Stripes, the 50 state flags, five territorial flags, and the District of Columbia flag.
Ten stamps will be issued in the spring (Stars and Stripes, plus Alabama through Delaware), followed by 10 more in the fall (District of Columbia through Kansas). The same process will be repeated in 2009 and 2010 for a total of 60 stamp designs. Four of the six groups of 10 will include a Stars and Stripes stamp.
In addition to the flag art, each stamp design includes artwork that provides a snapshot view of the state or other area represented by a particular flag.
These se-tenant stamps (a philatelic term for an attached pair, strip, or block of stamps that differ in design, color, or denomination) are arranged alphabetically in strips of 10 and sold in coils of 50 (five strips of 10 designs in each coil). Individual stamps will be twice the width of standard definitives.
Artist Tom Engeman, a resident of Bethany Beach, Delaware, created the detailed flag portraits on the stamps, reproducing as accurately as possible — considering the stamp-size format — such complex elements as intricate state seals and coats of arms. Over the years, the artist’s colorful and imaginative designs have appeared on many Postal Service™ products, including the National World War II Memorial stamp (2004) and the nation’s first Forever Stamp™ (2007).
Engeman also created the background artwork that appears on the stamps. In most cases, an everyday scene or activity is shown, but occasionally the view is of something less commonplace such as rare wildlife or a stunning vista. Unlike previous multi-stamp issuances, this series is not limited to official animals, flowers or products, nor is it meant to showcase well-known buildings, landmarks or monuments.
The background artwork for the Stars and Stripes stamps was inspired by the opening lines of “America the Beautiful”, written by Katharine Lee Bates (1859–1929). The spring 2008 design features “spacious skies”, while later designs will depict “amber waves of grain”, “purple-mountain majesties” and “the fruited plain.”
