# 5889 - 2024 First-Class Forever Stamp - Flags: Flag with Blue Sky at Top and Cloud at Bottom

US #5889
2024 Flag with Blue Sky at Top and Cloud at Bottom – US Flag (BCA Booklets of 20)

• Continues the tradition of patriotic US flag stamps

Stamp Category: Definitive
Set: 2024 US Flag
Value: 68¢ First Class Mail (Forever)
First Day of Issue: June 14, 2024
First Day City: Keystone, South Dakota
Quantity Issued: 900,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Booklets of 20
Perforations: Serpentine Die Cut, 11 ¼ x 10 ¾ on 2 or 3 sides
Design Size: 18 ¾ x 21 mm
Tagging: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tagged

Why the stamp was issued: To continue the popular tradition of issuing US stamps picturing the American flag.

About the stamp design: Includes a gouache painting of the American flag by illustrator Laura Stutzman.

First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held in Keystone, South Dakota.

About the 2024 US Flag set: Includes four images of the American flag waving at different times of day by illustrator Laura Stutzman, an artist known for her depictions of the US flag. In total, there are 20 varieties of 2024 US Flag stamps:

#5871-74 – 4 designs printed in coils of 100 by Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
#5875-78 – 4 designs printed in coils of 100 by Banknote Corporation of America.
#5879-82 – 4 designs printed in coils of 3,000 by Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
#5883-86 – 4 designs printed in booklets of 20 by Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
#5887-90 – 4 designs printed in booklets of 20 by Banknote Corporation of America.

History the stamp represents: Frederic Edwin Church (May 4, 1826 – April 7, 1900) was a well-known artist from Hartford, Connecticut. He was part of the Hudson River School of American landscape painters and was known for his realistic style with emphasis on dramatic lighting. At the height of his career, Church was one of the most famous painters in the US.

In 1861, Church combined his love of landscapes with the love of his country and painted Our Banner in the Sky. It pictures a sunset landscape with the colors of the American flag. This includes indications of the stars and stripes in the streaks of the clouds and night sky peeking through them. Church was said to have been inspired by a real sunset, which seemed to him that “the heavens indicated their support for the United States by reflecting the nation’s colors in the setting sun.”

Because the Civil War had just begun, Our Banner in the Sky proved to be a powerful pro-Union symbol. In fact, Church made lithographed copies of the piece and gave some of the proceeds to the families of Union soldiers. Interestingly, these lithographs have made it difficult to identify the original painting. This is because, in some cases, Church appears to have painted over some of the lithographs himself. Despite this, it is still one of the best-known American flag paintings in history.