# 3151d - 1997 32c Classic American Dolls: Martha Chase Doll

US #3151d
1997 Martha Chase – Classic American Dolls

• Pictures an all-cloth doll designed by Martha Chase.
• Part of the Classic American Dolls set – the first time photographs were used instead of paintings or drawings for a large US set with different stamp designs

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Classic American Dolls
Value:  32¢, First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue:  July 28, 1997
First Day City:  Anaheim, California
Quantity Issued:  105,000,000
Printed by:  Printed for Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. by Sterling Sommer of Tonawanda, New York
Printing Method:  Offset
Format:  Panes of 15 (Vertical, 5 across, 3 down)
Perforations:  10.9 by 11.1
Tagging:  Large tagging block over all 20 stamps, covering the stamps to the edges

Why the stamp was issued:  To commemorate American dolls created by Martha Chase.

About the stamp design:  The stamp pictures a photograph of the doll against a blue paper background.

First Day City:  The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held during the annual membership meeting of the United Federation of Doll Clubs at the Anaheim Hilton and Towers Hotel in Anaheim, California.

About the Classic American Dolls set:  The USPS issued the stamps to commemorate American dolls that “reflect the tradition, heritage, culture, and artistic style from various geographical regions of this country.” 

Each stamp design pictures a photograph by Sally Andersen-Bruce.  Each doll or pair of dolls is shown in front of a blue paper background, tying the stamp designs together.  The names of each doll are printed in small type below the bottom frameline of each stamp, across from the 1997 year date.  They’re also listed in the horizontal selvage at the bottom of the pane of 15.

The set marked the first time photographs were used instead of paintings or drawings for a large US set with different stamp designs.

History the stamp represents:  Inspired by a beloved Izannah Walker doll she had as a child, Martha Jenks Chase devised a complicated method for manufacturing washable cloth dolls which were virtually unbreakable.  The heads were made by stretching a stockinet over a mask with raised features, stiffening the material with glue or paste, and then painting the features with oils.  As a final step, a waterproof coating was applied.

Both boy and girl dolls had molded, painted hair and features.  Chase dolls produced during the firm’s early years have sateen torsos, while dolls made later have a rough stockinet body coated with the waterproof finish.  The distinctive Chase trademark can be found on the upper leg or under the arm.

From 1890 until 1925, the year of Ms. Chase’s death, the dolls were made by hand in a small factor, called The Doll House, behind her home in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.  Durable and lovable, the dolls became known around the world, and were shipped to such countries as Sweden, India, China, and Australia.

One such example of a Martha Chase doll was the “Hospital Doll.”  Life-sized and weighted like a real baby, the doll was often used by hospitals to teach new mothers how to care for their newborn infants.