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  • 32c Bessie Coleman single
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32c Bessie Coleman single

Object Details

Description
Bessie Coleman was honored with the issuance of a 32-cent commemorative stamp on April 27, 1995, in Chicago, Illinois. The stamp depicts Coleman in the leather helmet and goggles she wore as a 1920's barnstormer.
Bessie Coleman (1892-1926) was the world's first licensed female African American pilot. While living with her brothers in Chicago, she dreamed of flying after hearing stories from soldiers returning from World War I. Because of her race and gender, she could not find a school to accept her, so she studied French and with the financial support of the leading black Chicago publisher, Robert Abbot, she got her aviator's license in Paris, France. She returned to the United States in 1921 and performed in countless air shows-selecting only the shows that would also admit blacks as spectators. On April 30, 1926, while practicing for an exhibition, Coleman fell from her plane to her death.
This stamp is part of the Black Heritage Stamp Series. Initiated in 1978, the USPS continues to issue a stamp featuring a notable Black American every February in conjunction with Black History Month and at other times during the year.
The stamps were printed in the combination offset-intaglio process by the Bureau of Engraving of Printing, and issued in panes of fifty.
Reference:
Postal Bulletin (March, 30, 1995).
mint
Credit line
Copyright United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
April 27, 1995
Object number
1996.2066.124
Depicts
Bessie Coleman, American, 1896 - 1926
Type
Postage Stamps
Medium
paper; ink (multicolored)/ lithographed
Dimensions
Height x Width: 1 5/8 x 1 1/16 in. (4.1 x 2.7 cm)
Place
United States of America
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
Title
Scott Catalogue USA 2956
Topic
Contemporary (1990-present)
Planes & Pilots
Black Heritage
Women's Heritage
U.S. Stamps
Record ID
npm_1996.2066.124
Usage
Usage conditions apply
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm85c6b3cfc-de3a-4915-87c2-3e9a657359d3

Related Object Groups

  • Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past Collection Spotlight
  • Women Pilots
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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HomeSmithsonian National Postal Museum

Visit »

Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Admission is always free!

2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. Other entrances have variable hours.

street map of Postal museum

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