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22c Duke Ellington single

Object Details

Description
A 22-Cent commemorative stamp honoring Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was issued April 29, 1986, in New York City. It was the ninth stamp of the Performing Arts Series. Music critics called Duke Ellington "the master." Jazz critic and historian Ralph J. Gleason said he was "the greatest composer this American society has produced . . . a master musician, master psychologist, master choreographer."
Ellington has been credited with creating the single most durable body of original jazz compositions in the history of music. He brought listening and dancing pleasure to millions with compositions such as "Satin Doll" and "Mood Indigo." The Ellington band's five-year association with Harlem's The Cotton Club and its national, nightly broadcasts brought the band widespread fame.
Jim Sharpe of Westport, Connecticut, designed the stamp, which features a profile of Duke Ellington superimposed over the partial image of a piano keyboard. The stamps were printed in the photogravure process by the American Bank Note Company, with panes of fifty.
Reference:
Postal Bulletin (March 27, 1986).
mint
Credit line
Copyright United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
April 29, 1986
Object number
1999.2004.482
Depicts
Duke Ellington, American, 1899 - 1974
Type
Postage Stamps
Medium
paper; ink (multicolored); adhesive / photogravure
Place
United States of America
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
Title
Scott Catalogue USA 2211
Topic
Music & Musicians
The Cold War (1945-1990)
Black Heritage
U.S. Stamps
Record ID
npm_1999.2004.482
Usage
Usage conditions apply
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm8e9db8e70-44a1-4cb9-a117-01db315409be

Related Object Groups

  • Duke Ellington
  • Explore America: Washington, D.C.
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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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