1985 22c Traditional Christmas: Madonna and Child Statue

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U.S. #2165
1985 22¢ Madonna and Child Statue
Traditional Christmas

Features the Genoa Madonna by Luca della Robbia
12th Christmas stamp designed by Bradbury Thompson

Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Traditional Christmas
Value: 22¢, first-class rate
First Day of Issue: October 30, 1985
First Day City:&n... more

U.S. #2165
1985 22¢ Madonna and Child Statue
Traditional Christmas

Features the Genoa Madonna by Luca della Robbia
12th Christmas stamp designed by Bradbury Thompson

Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Traditional Christmas
Value: 22¢, first-class rate
First Day of Issue: October 30, 1985
First Day City: Detroit, Michigan
Quantity Issued: 759,200,000
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Photogravure
Format: Panes of 50 in sheets of 200
Perforations: 11

Why the stamp was issued: For use on holiday mail and to feature classical artwork on stamps.

About the stamp design: This stamp features the 15th-century Madonna and Child, by Luca della Robbia, also known as the Genoa Madonna. The half-length white terra cotta statue with a blue background is one of four in existence. The one pictured on the stamp came from the collections of the Detroit Institute of Art. Bradbury Thompson served as the designer, art director and typographer for the stamp. It was his 12th Christmas issue up to that point.

First Day City: The First Day ceremony for this stamp was held at the Detroit Institute of Arts in Michigan, where the original artwork resides.

Unusual fact about this stamp: Misregistered error stamps have been discovered.

About the Christmas Series: By the early 1960s, the US Post Office was receiving 1,000 letters a year (for several years) asking for a Christmas-themed stamp to frank their holiday mail. The idea was approved and the US issued its first Christmas stamp on November 1, 1962.

The stamp was wildly popular, featuring popular holiday decorations of a wreath and candles. The Post Office Department had expected there would be a great demand for the issue, so they printed 350 million stamps – the largest print run for a special stamp up to that time. Those 350 million stamps sold out quickly, leading the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to produce more stamps – reaching over 860 million by the end of the year.

While the Christmas stamp was very popular, it wasn’t without its detractors. Some didn’t agree with the idea of the post office issuing a stamp honoring a religious holiday. Others wanted Christmas stamps that were more religious. The Post Office would continue to issue Christmas stamps in the coming years that featured the National Christmas Tree, seasonal plants, and an angel in 1965. The angel was considered less controversial because angels are included in many religions, not just Christianity.

In 1966, the Post Office came up with a plan to produce Christmas stamps utilizing classic paintings of the Madonna and Child. These stamps wouldn’t violate the separation of church and state because they were a celebration of culture. On November 1, 1966, they issued the first US Madonna and Child stamp in Christmas, Michigan. The stamp featured the 15th century painting, Madonna and Child with Angels, by Flemish painter Hans Memling.

That stamp was very popular and over 1.1 billion were printed. The same design was used again the following year, however, the 1967 stamp was larger and showed more of the painting. The stamp’s continued popularity led the Post Office to issue another traditional Christmas stamp in 1968, this time picturing the Angel Gabriel. For the 1969 issue, they reverted back to the non-religious theme, with a stamp picturing a painting called Winter Sunday in Norway, Maine.

The Post Office made a big change in 1970. To keep people in both camps happy, they issued one traditional Christmas stamp, picturing a classic painting of the Nativity, plus a block of four picturing Christmas toys. That decision proved popular and they have continued to issue stamps with both traditional and contemporary Christmas themes ever since.

History the stamp represents: The 22¢ Madonna and Child pictures the version of Luca della Robia’s masterpiece known as the “Genoa Madonna,” located at the Detroit, Michigan, Institute of Arts. The Detroit Institute of Arts is the sixth-largest fine arts museum in the United States. Its holdings include over 60,000 works. The institute has more than 100 galleries, which include paintings, sculpture, and graphic and decorative arts.

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