Description:

Issued to celebrate a major U.S. Postal Service anniversary, 250 Years of Delivering is an illustrated pane of 20 interconnected stamps representing the ubiquitous presence of USPS throughout the years — and the vital role the postal system has played in connecting Americans since 1775.

The meticulous artwork shows a bird’s-eye view of a bustling town. Each individual stamp is a frame of sequential art, telling the story of a mail carrier’s journey as she walks her daily route. Laid out in four rows of five stamps, the story progresses through a year’s four seasons, from top-left to bottom-right.

In white sans serif capitals, “USPS/FOREVER/USA” appears at the bottom of each stamp. In blue, centered atop the selvage, is the title, “250 YEARS OF DELIVERING,” bracketed on left and right with two parallel horizontal stripes.

The top row’s stamps include: Post Office loading dock; customers at P.O. entrance; equestrian statue; dogs and their walkers; coffee shop entrance.

Row two: USPS driver waves; park bench; people and animals, mostly in pairs; carrier accesses blue curbside collection box; balloons at rooftop party.

Row three: carrier at apartment cluster box; restaurant customers wave; carrier accesses green USPS relay box; Next Generation Delivery Vehicle in profile; bookstore entrance.

Row four: USPS carrier checks her watch; carrier delivers to man at old house; winter tree; crowd of pedestrians in street; carrier holds child at home.

Chris Ware created the stamp artwork and co-designed the pane with art director Antonio Alcalá.