The U.S. Postal Service commissioned eight artists to develop potential designs for an Elvis stamp. Working independently, they submitted 60 sketches and paintings in every imaginable style, from somber watercolors to abstract modernist designs.
The artists were not restricted to any particular era in the life of Elvis, so their designs explored various aspects of his career, including his films, his early performances, and his reign on the Las Vegas concert stage. These concept sketches and preliminary designs, which reflect the innumerable ways of looking at an American icon, show Elvis stamps that might have been.
