U.S. #722
1932 3¢ George Washington
Issue Date: October 12, 1932
First City: Washington, D.C.
Quantity Issued: 35,988,000
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Rotary Press
Perforation: 10 Horizontally
Color: Deep Violet
U.S. #722 had a limited demand, since end coil stamps were only used in certain vending machines. It remained in production for eight years.
George Washington’s Most Famous Portrait Was Never Finished
George Washington’s image on U.S. #722 was taken from a painting by artist Gilbert Stuart. Stuart was a well-known portrait artist who had established a studio in Philadelphia. It was where in 1796 he would paint what would become the most famous portrait of George Washington. And it was a painting he never finished.
Stuart began a painting of Washington that, after completing his face and upper torso, he never finished. However, he and his daughters would use that painting as the model for 130 reproductions. It came to be called “The Athenaeum,” and its image is still used on the one-dollar bill. “The Athenaeum” hangs in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The image was also used on the 1932 Commemorative U.S. stamps.