# 5663a - 2022 First-Class Forever Stamp - Imperforate Edmonia Lewis

US #5663a
2022 Edmonia Lewis (Imperforate) – Black Heritage Series

• Honors African American and Native American sculptor Edmonia Lewis
• 45^th stamp in the Black Heritage Series

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Series:  Black Heritage
Value:  First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue:  January 26, 2022
First Day City:  Washington, DC
Quantity Issued:  35,000,000 (Includes die-cut AND imperforate stamps.  The exact quantity of imperforate stamps is unknown, but it is only a tiny fraction of the total print quantity, making the imperforates much scarcer than traditional die-cut stamps.)
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset, Microprint
Format:  Panes of 20
Tagging:  Phosphor tagged paper, block tag

Why the stamp was issued:  To honor trailblazing African American and Native American sculptor Edmonia Lewis, a fitting addition the long-running Black Heritage stamp series.

About the stamp design:  Pictures a casein-on-wood portrait of Lewis based on a photograph taken in Boston sometime between 1864 and 1871.

First Day City:  The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held in Washington, DC, at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, an appropriate venue given Lewis’s contributions to the art world.

About the Black Heritage Series:  The Black Heritage Series is one of the USPS’s longest-running stamp series.  It began on February 1, 1978, with the issue of the 13¢ Harriet Tubman stamp (US #1744).  Since then, the USPS has issued a new stamp in the series every year.  A number of them have even been released in February in recognition of Black History Month.

History the stamp represents:  Mary Edmonia Lewis (c. July 4, 1844 – September 17, 1907) was an African Native American artist who specialized in sculpture.  She was one of the only black female artists of her time and the first African American sculptor to be recognized for their work.  She used her mixed heritage as inspiration for her sculptures throughout her life.

Lewis was born in Greenbush, New York, and spent the first few years of her life in different parts of the state.  In her teen years, she attended preparatory school in Ohio, with just 29 other non-white students.  When Lewis’s schooling ended, she moved to Boston in 1864, where she began her career as a sculptor.  However, she faced significant trouble finding someone to teach her.  In fact, three male sculptors refused before Edward Augustus Brackett agreed to take her on as a student.  Later that same year, Lewis struck out on her own and held her first exhibition.

Lewis sculpted a number of important abolitionists before deciding to move to Rome, Italy.  There, she hoped to expand her skills and be among a greater community of artists.  She experienced much more freedom in Italy and her scope of work grew tremendously.  She explored her African American and Native American heritage.  Lewis’s works continue to inspire countless people to this day.