# 5471 - 2020 First-Class Forever Stamp - Voices of Harlem: Nella Larsen
US #5471
2020 Nella Larsen – Voices of the Harlem Renaissance
• One of four stamps issued for the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Harlem Renaissance
Value: 55¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: May 21, 2020
First Day City: New York, New York
Quantity Issued: 16,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Panes of 20
Tagging: Phosphor, Block Tag
Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate novelist Nella Larsen and her role in the Harlem Renaissance.
About the stamp design: Pictures a pastel portrait Nella Larsen by Gary Kelley.
Special design details: The backgrounds of the stamp includes African-inspired symbols and themes. The selvage of the pane of 20 includes the silhouette of a city with the sun in the middle.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was cancelled due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The First Day Cancel was from New York, New York, the city known as the very center of the Harlem Renaissance.
About the Harlem Renaissance set: Four stamps issued to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance, its contributions to literature and the arts, and the growing influence of Black Americans on culture. Stamps honor Alain Locke, Nella Larsen, Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, and Anne Spencer.
History the stamp represents: Nella Larsen was born on April 13, 1891, in a low-income neighborhood of Chicago. Throughout childhood, Larsen had little exposure to African American culture. When she was old enough, Larsen’s mother encouraged her to enroll at Fisk University, a traditionally African American school in Nashville. Larsen’s mixed race stood out among the other students. Most were from the South and descended from former slaves.
After being expelled from Fisk in 1908 for violating its strict dress code and rules for women, Larsen moved to New York City. There, she trained as a nurse and later married Elmer Imes in 1919. Larsen published her first short stories soon after, drawing on her experiences as a mixed-race woman. Throughout her life, she was made to feel like an outsider for this, as well as for her low-income origins and lack of a college degree.
When Larsen and her husband moved to Harlem in 1920, Larsen really began to blossom as a writer. She continued developing short stories, but also wrote two novels, Quicksand (1928) and Passing (1929). They were groundbreaking works and some of the first to focus on mixed race identity and the feeling of not belonging. It was this that made Larsen an important figure of the Harlem Renaissance and left a lasting impact on African American history.
US #5471
2020 Nella Larsen – Voices of the Harlem Renaissance
• One of four stamps issued for the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Harlem Renaissance
Value: 55¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: May 21, 2020
First Day City: New York, New York
Quantity Issued: 16,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Panes of 20
Tagging: Phosphor, Block Tag
Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate novelist Nella Larsen and her role in the Harlem Renaissance.
About the stamp design: Pictures a pastel portrait Nella Larsen by Gary Kelley.
Special design details: The backgrounds of the stamp includes African-inspired symbols and themes. The selvage of the pane of 20 includes the silhouette of a city with the sun in the middle.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was cancelled due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The First Day Cancel was from New York, New York, the city known as the very center of the Harlem Renaissance.
About the Harlem Renaissance set: Four stamps issued to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance, its contributions to literature and the arts, and the growing influence of Black Americans on culture. Stamps honor Alain Locke, Nella Larsen, Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, and Anne Spencer.
History the stamp represents: Nella Larsen was born on April 13, 1891, in a low-income neighborhood of Chicago. Throughout childhood, Larsen had little exposure to African American culture. When she was old enough, Larsen’s mother encouraged her to enroll at Fisk University, a traditionally African American school in Nashville. Larsen’s mixed race stood out among the other students. Most were from the South and descended from former slaves.
After being expelled from Fisk in 1908 for violating its strict dress code and rules for women, Larsen moved to New York City. There, she trained as a nurse and later married Elmer Imes in 1919. Larsen published her first short stories soon after, drawing on her experiences as a mixed-race woman. Throughout her life, she was made to feel like an outsider for this, as well as for her low-income origins and lack of a college degree.
When Larsen and her husband moved to Harlem in 1920, Larsen really began to blossom as a writer. She continued developing short stories, but also wrote two novels, Quicksand (1928) and Passing (1929). They were groundbreaking works and some of the first to focus on mixed race identity and the feeling of not belonging. It was this that made Larsen an important figure of the Harlem Renaissance and left a lasting impact on African American history.