EnglishAfrikaansAlbanianAmharicArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBasqueBelarusianBengaliBosnianBulgarianCatalanCebuanoChichewaChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CorsicanCroatianCzechDanishDutchEsperantoEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchFrisianGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekGujaratiHaitian CreoleHausaHawaiianHebrewHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKazakhKhmerKoreanKurdish (Kurmanji)KyrgyzLaoLatinLatvianLithuanianLuxembourgishMacedonianMalagasyMalayMalayalamMalteseMaoriMarathiMongolianMyanmar (Burmese)NepaliNorwegianPashtoPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRomanianRussianSamoanScottish GaelicSerbianSesothoShonaSindhiSinhalaSlovakSlovenianSomaliSpanishSudaneseSwahiliSwedishTajikTamilTeluguThaiTurkishUkrainianUrduUzbekVietnameseWelshXhosaYiddishYorubaZulu
New York City grew from a small Dutch trading settlement called New Amsterdam in the early seventeenth century into a bustling multicultural city of more than 8 million people. Influenced by geography, and by ethnic, cultural and economic diversity, New York City has been a major entry port for immigrants from across the globe. Iconic elements of New York City life include its complex transportation system, established seasonal traditions, and recognizable popular culture personalities.
Immigration has been a powerful cultural force for New York City and the US as a whole. More than 40% of the current US population had at least one ancestor processed at Ellis Island, which opened in 1892 as a Federal immigration station. This stamp design was based on a 1905 black-and-white photo of an Italian family on a ferry from the New York City docks to Ellis Island.
IMMIGRANTS ARRIVE Celebrate the Century: 1900s
MEDIUM board, gouache, acrylic, colored pencil
ILLUSTRATOR Richard Waldrep (b. 1943)
ART DIRECTOR Carl Herrman
FIRST DAY OF ISSUE February 3, 1998
Streetcars began operating along Bowery and Fourth Streets in 1832. Called “horsecars,” these horse-drawn streetcars rolled along special rails in the middle of the road. Forerunners of today’s mass transit system, streetcars allowed people to move quickly throughout the city and were especially crucial in Manhattan, which, during this period, was developing into a major business center.
FIRST AMERICAN STREETCAR: NEW YORK CITY, 1832 Streetcars Issue
MEDIUM board, acrylic, graphite, ink
ILLUSTRATOR Richard Leech (1932-1993)
ART DIRECTOR Richard Leech
FIRST DAY OF ISSUE October 8, 1983
Thanksgiving Day Parade is an iconic annual event in New York City, associated with marching bands, large balloons depicting cartoon characters, and slow-moving floats featuring celebrities. The artist used digital software to create the final artwork. It depicts a New York City street teeming with energy and excitement on a clear but chilly November day.
THANKSGIVING DAY PARADECommemorative stamps
MEDIUM digital (pencil sketch, scanned, Adobe Illustrator)
ILLUSTRATOR Paul Rogers (b. 1949)
ART DIRECTOR Howard Paine
FIRST DAY OF ISSUE September 2, 2009
Seinfeld Television Series was a highly rated situation comedy show that ran from July 5, 1989 to May 14, 1998. Jerry Seinfeld himself actually participated in the design of the artwork, which features the interior of his fictional apartment.
SEINFELD TELEVISION SERIES Commemorative stamp
MEDIUM board, gesso, acrylic
ILLUSTRATOR Howard Koslow (b. 1924)
ART DIRECTOR Howard Paine
FIRST DAY OF ISSUE May 2, 2000
The First Published Crossword Puzzle appeared in the New York World Newspaper on December 21, 1913. Known as a “word-cross” puzzle, it was similar to contemporary crossword puzzles. The puzzle became a regular weekly feature and spread to other newspapers across the US.
FIRST CROSSWORD PUZZLECelebrate the Century: 1910s
MEDIUM board, acrylic, ink
ILLUSTRATOR Dennis Lyall (b.1977)
ART DIRECTOR Howard Paine
FIRST DAY OF ISSUE February 3, 1998
