1861 Issues

The 1-cent Franklin probably served more uses than any stamp of the 1861 Issue. First, it prepaid the drop letter rate for local delivery in large eastern cities if the letter had been hand-delivered to the post office building. Second, it prepaid the delivery of any printed circular or newspaper weighing less than three ounces. Every additional ounce required another 1-cent Franklin. Third, it prepaid the fee for carrier service that delivered mail originating in another town to a local addressee or delivered mail originating at a local address to the post office for deposit in the mails. Fourth, one cent was the postal rate for books weighing less than four pounds. An additional one-cent-per-ounce was charged for distances up to fifteen hundred miles. A book sent over fifteen hundred miles was charged a two-cents-per-ounce fee. Finally, the 1-cent Franklin paid for some third-class mail or, in combination with other higher denominations, greater weight and foreign destination rates. National Bank Note Company printed approximately 138,000,000 stamps of the 1-cent issue.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

First issued in 1861 and widely used by Union soldiers during the Civil War, the 3-cent Washington is probably the most familiar regular issue of the Classic Period. It appeared frequently on patriotic cachet covers that depicted inspiring images of Union strength and victory, scenes that rang true later in the war but not in the months following August 1861. Early in the war a string of major Confederate victories—Kessler's Cross Lanes, the Battle of the Hemp Bales, and Ball's Bluff—cast Union victory into doubt.

Though one of the 1861 Issue’s most common and widely used stamps, the subtleties of the 3-cent Washington's color shades are the most difficult of any stamp in the issue. The stamp’s shades range from rose, the most common, to the rare pigeon blood pink. This is due to a variance in pigment ingredients and/or quantities used when mixing the ink over many press runs during the four-years of issuance. According to specialist Richard M. Morris, issuance dates for the major shades ranged from its original release in August 1861 to 1865.

The 3-cent Washington’s primary use was to pre-pay the half-ounce first-class rate, but when used in combination with other denominations, greater weight and foreign destination rates were fulfilled. The National Bank Note Company printed approximately 1,782,000,000 stamps of the 3-cent issue, including all its shades.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

United States stamps issued during the Classic Period followed familiar patterns such as the repetitive pairing of stamp subject with stamp denomination. Until 1861 only the five-cent stamp deviated from this informal model. That is, in 1847 the 5-cent issue honored Benjamin Franklin, but subsequent 5-cent issues depicted Thomas Jefferson.

The marriage of color to denomination is another example of this pattern. But again, exceptions occurred. While the earlier 5-cent stamp of the 1851-1861 Issue contained examples printed in the darker colors such as red brown and brown, the 5-cent Jefferson of the 1861 Issue was printed in buff, a notable color difference. Most usage occurred in the second half of 1861 through the end of 1862, and the shades range from buff (the most common) to brown yellow and olive yellow.

The 5-cent stamp typically paid the single-weight rate to France when used with a 10-cent stamp or two more 5-cent stamps. Otherwise, in combination with other denominations, it paid the larger weight and foreign destination rates. National Bank Note Company printed approximately 175,000 stamps of this stamp, including all its shades.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

Late in her husband's second term as president, Martha Washington commissioned the well-known portrait artist Gilbert Stuart to paint both her portrait and the president's. She intended them to adorn the walls of their Virginia estate, Mount Vernon.

Stuart was notorious for the length of time it took him to complete a commissioned work, and so neither the president nor his wife ever saw the completed portraits. George Washington died at the age 67 in 1799, and Martha Washington died in 1802. Stuart's delay was probably intentional. The two portraits remained unfinished and tacked to a door in Stuart's Boston studio until his death in 1828. He apparently had used this original work, which had been drawn from life, as the model for most of the portraits of George Washington that he painted during his illustrious career.

The 10-cent Washington of the 1861 Issue was engraved from Stuart's unfinished portrait of the first American president. The 10-cent stamp typically paid the single-weight, cross-border rate to Canada or the transcontinental rate to and from California. The 10-cent stamp could have been used, in combination with other denominations, to fulfill larger weight and foreign destination rates. Approximately 27,300,000 stamps of the 10-cent Washington were printed by National Bank Note Company.

Alexander T. Haimann

When the National Bank Note Company was founded in 1859, William Marshall was one of the first portrait engravers hired. By early 1860, Marshall was tasked with engraving a vignette for the upcoming 1861 Issue and sent to Boston to use Gilbert Stuart’s portrait painting of George Washington as his model for the new engraving.

This painting was one of two unfinished portraits of the Washingtons that Martha Washington had commissioned in 1796. She had intended them for the family home, Mount Vernon, but Stuart failed to deliver them. They had hung in the Boston Athenaeum from 1828 until 1874 in an exposition honoring the late artist. And when the Boston Museum of Fine Arts was built, the unfinished Stuart portraits were exhibited there on long-term loan. After a century of housing and exhibiting the portraits, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., were given the option to buy the two paintings. The two institutions now co-own the portraits.

The single 12-cent stamp typically paid the single-weight rate to England after the January 1, 1868, reduction. Before that date the rate would have required two 12-cent stamps. It was also used in combination with other denominations to fulfill larger weight and foreign destination rates. Approximately 7,314,000 stamps of the 12-cent Washington were printed by National Bank Note Company.

John Birkinbine

The 24-cent Washington 1861 issue, which had some of the most intricate frame engravings of any U.S. stamp to that date, is known for its many different color shades. None was the result of a separate printing or different plate, a circumstance that only exacerbates the conundrum of their occurrence. The most common shades are red lilac and brown lilac. Steel blue, violet, and pale gray violet shades are far rarer. Engravers for this stamp were William Marshall (who also engraved the portrait for the 10- and 12-cent 1861 issues), William D. Nichols, and Cyrus Durand (the frame engravers).

Engraver Cyrus Durand and his younger brother, Asher Durand, enjoyed notable careers. Cyrus invented a machine that could create intricate lathe work for banknotes, which was later used in stamp engraving. Asher engraved the Washington portrait for the Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson 1847 Issue. Both brothers actually engraved portraits of George Washington for postage stamps, and they were the only engravers of his portrait living during Washington's lifetime. Born in 1788, Cyrus was twelve-years-old when Washington died (1799); Asher was age three. Cyrus was also the only stamp engraver alive concurrent with Benjamin Franklin, who died in 1790.

The 24-cent Washington typically paid the single-weight letter rate to England until January 1, 1868, when the rate was reduced to twelve cents. Otherwise, the 24-cent stamp was used in combination with other denominations to fulfill greater weight and foreign destination rates. National Bank Note Company printed over 500,000 24-cent Washington stamps. This count includes all shades.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

In late summer 1861 Benjamin Franklin was chosen once again as the subject for an American stamp. The 30-cent Franklin was distinguished by its bright orange color from the other seven stamps of the 1861 Issue. Joseph I. Pease, while working for Toppan, Carpenter & Co., had engraved most of the 1851-1861 Issue stamps, and he was now assigned to engrave the two Franklin portraits for the 1- and 30-cent stamps for National Bank Note Company. He would also work for the American Bank Note Company and would engrave all the Franklin portraits for its stamps. In fact, Pease engraved more portraits of Franklin for postage stamps than any other engraver during the Classic Period.

A single 30-cent Franklin could have paid the double-weight rate to France or Nova Scotia, but it typically paid, in combination with other denominations, the larger weight and foreign destination rates. A total of over 3,300,000 stamps of the thirty-cent issue were printed by National Bank Note Company.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

The 1861 Issue 90-cent Washington has many similarities to its 1851-1861 Issue counterpart. Though printed by two different companies, Joseph I. Pease engraved both stamps, using John Trumbull’s portrait of Washington as inspiration. The 1861 stamp was supposed to be issued with a change in design and color to differentiate it from the previous issue, but the color remained blue. The major difference between the two issues was the amount of time they were in use. The first 90-cent Washington was in use less than a year, explaining why used examples are considerably scarcer than mint copies. The 1861 Issue 90-cent Washington was in use over seven years, and consequently the 90-cent Washington of the 1861 Issue had a printing more than ten times greater than its earlier counterpart. That ten-to-one ratio also holds true for use on cover (61:6).

Throughout the 1860s there was not one single-weight rate that the 90-cent stamp could pay. The 90-cent Washington of the 1861 Issue instead fulfilled the double-weight rate to India, Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, and several other countries and, in combination with other denominations, larger weight and foreign destination rates. A total of over 380,000 stamps of the 90-cent Washington were printed by National Bank Note Company. In 1869 the 90-cent Washington was replaced by the 90-cent Lincoln.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum