The Art of Christmas Stamps

Works from the National Gallery of Art
Virtual Exhibit
Refer to caption
Left: First US Christmas stamp issued November 1st in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Scott 1205)
Right: A rejected design, or essay

The large volume of mail has always kept the postal system busy during the winter holidays. In 1962, the first Christmas stamps were officially issued, and have since become a regular and much anticipated occurrence. Since 1970, two general themes of Christmas stamps have been issued yearly: one "traditional" and one "contemporary." The traditional stamps tend to be based on religious artwork, while the contemporary stamps usually have a secular subject. Many of the artworks that have inspired the traditional stamps are in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. To showcase this tradition, the National Gallery of Art and the National Postal Museum have partnered to create this online exhibit, which explores the art behind U.S. Christmas stamps.

This virtual exhibit is available online only; it is not on display in the museum.

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Exhibition

Obras de la Galería Nacional de Arte (Exhibición virtual)
Desde 1970, el Servicio Postal de los EE. UU. ha emitido anualmente dos temas generales de sellos navideños: uno "tradicional" y otro "contemporáneo". Las estampillas tradicionales tienden a estar basadas en obras de arte religiosas, mientras que las estampillas contemporáneos suelen tener un tema secular. Para mostrar esta tradición, la Galería Nacional de Arte y el Museo Postal Nacional se han asociado para crear esta exhibición virtual, que explora el arte detrás de las estampillas navideñas de EE. UU.

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Exhibition

Œuvres de la National Gallery of Art (exposition virtuelle)
Depuis 1970, deux thèmes généraux de timbres de Noël sont émis chaque année par le service postal américain : un « traditionnel » et un « contemporain ». « Les timbres traditionnels ont tendance à être basés sur des œuvres d'art religieuses, tandis que les timbres contemporains ont généralement un sujet profane. Pour mettre en valeur cette tradition, la Galerie Nationale d'Art et le Musée National de la Poste se sont associés pour créer cette exposition en ligne, qui explore l'art derrière les timbres de Noël des États-Unis.

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