Every Stamp Tells a Story

Windows Into America

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Windows Into America stamp installation

Fifty-four stamp reproductions illuminate this building’s historic façade and the interior of the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery.  Each panel tells an important story of American history, culture, and identity. Curators chose these images from more than 4,000 U.S. stamps issued since 1847. The translucent panels are both aesthetic and practical. They create a stunning visual effect while also protecting the museum’s collection from light, heat, humidity, and theft.

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Bays 4 through 8 of the Windows Into America installation

Windows Into America made possible by Mark J. Porterfield.

15-cent Abraham Lincoln stamp, 1866

15-cent Abraham Lincoln, 1866
10-cent Booker T. Washington, 1940
$5 Christopher Columbus, 1893

10-cent Special Delivery Messenger on Motorcycle stamp, 1922

10-cent Special Delivery Messenger on Motorcycle, 1922
$1 Western Cattle in Storm, 1898
$1 Lincoln Memorial, 1923

3-cent Byrd Antarctic Expedition II stamp, 1933

3-cent Byrd Antarctic Expedition II, 1933
$2 James Madison, 1903
3-cent Steam Locomotive, 1869
5-cent Old Faithful, 1934
32-cent Empire State Building, 1998
6-cent Crater Lake, 1934

5-cent International Cooperation Year stamp, 1965

5-cent International Cooperation Year, 1965
4-cent Arctic Explorations, 1959
25-cent Transpacific China Clipper, 1935
$2 U.S. Capitol, 1923

3-cent Postage Stamp Centenary stamp, 1947

5-cent DC-4 Skymaster, 1946
29-cent National Postal Museum, 1993
A Rate (15-cent) Eagle, 1978

5-cent DC-4 Skymaster stamp, 1946

5-cent DC-4 Skymaster, 1946
29-cent National Postal Museum, 1993
A Rate (15-cent) Eagle, 1978

5-cent Thomas Jefferson stamp, 1861

5-cent Thomas Jefferson, 1861
2-cent Thomas Edison’s First Electric Lamp, 1929
2-cent Olympic Winter Games Skier, 1932
3-cent Pony Express, 1940
3-cent Betsy Ross, 1952

3-cent Smithsonian Institution stamp, 1946

3-cent Smithsonian Institution, 1946
24-cent Curtiss Jenny Invert, 1918
2-cent Empire State Express Train, 1901

8-cent Statue of Liberty stamp, 1954

8-cent Statue of Liberty, 1954
4-cent St. Lawrence Seaway, 1959
$5 Head of the Statue of Freedom, 1923

$2.40 Moon Landing stamp, 1989

$2.40 Moon Landing, 1989
4-cent Project Mercury Friendship 7 Capsule, 1962
14-cent Chief Hollow Horn Bear, 1923
20-cent Hand to Hand Special Delivery, 1954

34-cent Honoring Veterans stamp, 2001

34-cent Honoring Veterans, 2001
5-cent Four Freedoms, 1946
16-cent Great Seal of the United States, 1934
20-cent Medal of Honor, 1983
5-cent Pilgrim Tercentenary Signing of the Compact, 1920
4-cent Fleet of Columbus Error of Color, 1893
5-cent Jamestown Exposition Pocahontas, 1907
13-cent “H.I.” Hawaiian Missionary, 1852

10c Charles Lindbergh's Plane Spirit of St. Louis stamp, 1927

10-cent Charles Lindbergh's Plane Spirit of St. Louis, 1927
10-cent Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain), 1940
16-cent Air Service Emblem, 1923
10-cent Jane Addams, 1940
10-cent Hardships of Emigration, 1898
30-cent American Buffalo, 1923

12-cent George Washington stamp, 1861

12-cent George Washington, 1861
2-cent Andrew Jackson, 1875
8-cent Martha Washington, 1902