Monday, January 29, 2018

Black Heritage Stamp is Lena Horne


The U.S. Postal Service will honor legendary performer and civil rights activist Lena Horne on the 41st stamp in the Black Heritage stamp series. The First-Day-Of-Issue ceremony will take place in New York City tomorrow. 

Lena Horne was a trailblazer in Hollywood for women of color and used her fame as an entertainer to become an important civil rights spokesperson.

The stamp art features a photograph of Lena Horne taken by Christian Steiner in the 1980s. Kristen Monthei colorized the original black-and-white photo, adding a background reminiscent of Horne’s Stormy Weather album, with a few clouds to add texture and subtly make the album reference. “Lena Horne” is written along the bottom of the stamp, with “Black Heritage,” the stamp series title, at the top. “USA” and “Forever” appear on the lower right-hand side above Horne’s name. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp.

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