The US 2022 stamp program offers up a rich sampling of American history and culture. I spent a fun afternoon chasing down interesting links and videos to share with you about the topics and artists involved with the program. Not all material has been attached below (as of publishing date) because I’m saving a few treats for the actual release days.
2021 produced 2 sets that were tops in my view. The first was April’s Espresso Drinks. The team of artist Terry Allen and designer Gary Breeding produced a delicious and classic 4 stamp set.
Breeding’s use of different typography for each drink created a wonderful, vintage feel to the designs.
The next set was artist Ryan Feerer’s first design for USPS. He was thrilled to be asked to work with Greg Breeding to produce what I think is an iconic set of Americana.
I’m so thankful that @gregbreeding gave me the opportunity to work on this. Such an amazing human being and incredible to work with. I can’t express how much this project means to me. My grandfather was a postmaster in a small New Mexico town. He would’ve been so proud!
Ryan Feerer June 25, 2021 in a Twitter conversation (I added the italics & bolding)
I hope to see Feerer return to stamp design duties one day.
The new year is a banner year for women in history, with Edmonia Lewis, Katharine Graham, Women Cryptologists and Eugenie Clark each honoured. Good history, good artwork and a rich stable of talented designers have produced another fun year for American stamp collectors.
US 2022 stamp program
January
Blueberries
1 stamp, cover, cancel, coils, sheets of 20
offset microprint
Artist: John Burgoyne
Designer: Derry Noyes
Release date: January 9, 2022
U.S. Flags – forever stamp
1 stamp, 2 cancels, sheets of 20, booklets of 20, pins
Designer/artist: Laura Stutzman
Release date: January 9, 2022
Love 2022
2 stamps, sheet of 20, 2 FDCs, 2 cancels, release ceremony memento, framed stamps, press cut sheets
You can download a list of all the LOVE stamps (and designers) issued by the USPS since January 1974 Love Series Stamps (usps.com). The first was designed by Robert Indiana. This is Bailey Sullivan’s first LOVE stamp.
Designer/artist: Bailey Sullivan
Release date: January 14, 2022
Year of the Tiger
1 stamp, sheet of 20, FDC, 2 cancels, on in colour, red envelope, pins, presentation pack, release ceremony memento, press cut sheets
**USPS licensed VeVe to create and issue NTF cryptos of the Lunar New Year issues. The Tiger, Ox and Rat stamps can be seen Crypto Stamp Catalogue | Bitter Grounds Magazine
Artist: Camille Chew
Designer: Antonio Alcalá
Release date: January 20, 2022
Edmonia Lewis – Black History Month
1 stamp, sheet of 20, 2 FDCs, 2 cancels, framed stamp (9.5″x11.5″), 1st day release ceremony memento, press sheets
offset microprint
45th stamp in the Black Heritage series honors Edmonia Lewis, the first African American and Native American sculptor to earn international recognition. The stamp art is a casein-paint portrait based on a photograph of Lewis by Augustus Marshall made in Boston between 1864 and 1871.
USPS issuing Edmonia Lewis Black Heritage Forever stamp Jan. 26 – Newsroom – About.usps.com
Edmonia Lewis is considered the first professional BIPOC sculptor in the United States and the first to achieve international acclaim. Even though much of her work has not survived into the 21st century, Lewis used her art to depict the stories of women and Indigenous people with reverence and beauty. Shattering gender and racial expectations in the 19th-century U.S., her life story is a testament to the ability to succeed despite adversity. Edmonia Lewis | National Women’s History Museum (womenshistory.org)
Artist: Alex Bostic
Designer: Antonio Alcalá
Release date: January 26, 2022
February
Palace of Fine Arts
1 stamp, mini sheet of 4, 2 FDCs, 2 cancels
offset microprint
The Palace of Fine Arts is located in the Marina District of San Francisco. If you ever get a chance to visit San Francisco, take it and don’t miss seeing this beautiful piece of architecture.
Following the devastating 1906 earthquake and fire, San Francisco was inspired to show the world how it had risen from the ashes. So, in 1910, business and civic leaders convened to discuss making the city the site of the century’s first great world’s fair, a grand exposition to honor the completion of the Panama Canal. In two hours, $4 million was raised and San Francisco beat competitors like New Orleans and Washington, D.C. to host the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition.
Palace of Fine Arts Event Venue in San Francisco
Designer: Greg Breeding
Artist: Dan Cosgrove
Release date: February 14, 2022
Monument Valley
1 stamp, mini sheet of 4, 2 FDCs, 2 cancels
offset microprint
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park | Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation
Designer: Greg Breeding
Artist: Dan Cosgrove
Release date: February 14, 2022
March
50th anniversary of Title IX
4 stamps, sheets of 20 (with all 4 designs), 4 FDCs, 2 cancels, release ceremony memento, portfolio, pin
press cut sheets also available, NFT available.
offset
“Title IX is a civil rights law prohibiting discrimination based on sex in any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Title IX – Newsroom – About.usps.com
- runner
- swimmer
- gymnast
- soccer player
Read more about Title IX (ed.gov).
Artist/designer: Melinda Beck Melinda Beck – illustration and design
Release date: March 3, 2022
African Daisy
1 stamp, sheets of 10, FDC, 2 cancels
African daisy Osteospermum
Designer: Greg Breeding
Photograph: Cindy Dyer Cindy Dyer Photography
Dyer’s photographs previously appeared on Water Lilies Forever in 2015 and Ferns in 2014 & reissued in 2015 as Forever stamps
Release date: March 14, 2022
Mountain Flora
4 stamps, 4 FDCs, 2 cancels
framed stamps, notecards also available
- pasqueflower Anemone patens
- wood lily Lilium philadelphicum
- alpine buttercup Ranunculus adoneus
- Woods’ rose Rosa woodsii
Artist: Lili Arnold Lili Arnold | California Printmaker & Illustrator
Hand-drawn & digital techniques were used to create these 4 stamps
Designer: Ethel Kessler
Release date: March 14, 2022
April
Shel Silverstein (1930–1999)
1 stamp, sheets of 10, FDC, 2 cancels
Designer: Derry Noyes
Illustrator: Shel Silverstein, from his book The Giving Tree
Welcome to Shel Silverstein | Shel Silverstein
Release date: April 8, 2022
Flags on Barns
4 stamps, 4 covers, cancel
pencil and watercolour
Designer: Stephanie Bower
Release date: April 14, 2022
George Morrison 1919-2000
5 stamps, 5 FDCs, 2 cancels, ceremony memento, notecards, sheet of 20 , presscut sheets
- “Sun and River,” 1949, watercolor and crayon on paper.
- “Phenomena Against the Crimson: Lake Superior Landscape,” 1985, acrylic on canvas.
- “Lake Superior Landscape,” 1981, acrylic on canvas.
- “Spirit Path, New Day, Red Rock Variation: Lake Superior Landscape,” 1990, acrylic and pastel on paper.
- Untitled, 1995, color pencil on paper
George Morrison was an Ojibwa modernist landscape artist. This video features a fascinating lecture on George Morrison, by Dr. Patricia Marroquin Norby (Purepecha), Associate Curator of Native American Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
One of the nation’s greatest modernist artists and a founding figure of Native American modernism, George Morrison challenged prevailing ideas of what Native American art should be, arguing that an artist’s identity can exist independently from the nature of the art he creates. He is best known for his abstract landscape paintings and monumental wood collages, which draw on childhood memory and reflect a deep and abiding connection with the natural world. USPS News Release March 17, 2022
Artist: George Morrison
Designer: Antonio Alcalá
Release date: April 22, 2022
Sunflower Bouquet
1 stamp, 2 FDCs, 2 cancels, sheet of 20, notecards also available
offset, microprint
Digital photographer: Harold Davis Harold Davis | Creative vision, quality, and craft in photography and digital art (digitalfieldguide.com)
Designer: Ethel Kessler
Release date: April 24, 2022
Tulips
1 stamp, 2 FDCs, 2 cancels, sheet of 20, notecards also available
offset, microprint
Digital photographer: Harold Davis
Designer: Ethel Kessler
Release date: April 24, 2022
May
Eugenie Clark
1 stamp, 2 FDCs, 2 cancels, sheet of 20, ceremony memento, framed 11.5 x 8.5 stamp
Eugenie Clark was affectionately known as “the Shark Lady”. She was a pioneer in studying marine life in their natural surroundings. She conducted 72 submersible dives and an untold number of scuba dives during her career. Among her many awards are National Geographical Societies Franklin L. Burr Award, the Explorers Club Medal, and American Society of Oceanographers’ Medal of Excellence. A newly discovered dogfish was named in her honour Squalus clarkae.
Eugenie Clark – Women in Exploration
Artist/designer: Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya
Earlier in my career, my goal was simply to convey scientific ideas and findings in more compelling ways. My goals were to inform and inspire. Over time, I’ve set my sights higher, challenging people to reexamine their beliefs, truly understand someone else’s perspective, and consider what a better world could look like. I believe art has a responsibility to question preconceived notions and create new possibilities. Bio — Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya—Multidisciplinary Artist (alonglastname.com)
Release date: Wednesday, May 4, 2022
Women’s Rowing
4 stamps, 8 FDCs, 2 cancels, sheet of 20, Release Day Ceremony Memento
Artist/designer: Nancy Stahl
Previous stamps by Stahl include 2011 Vanishing Species, 2008 Dragonflies, 2007 Christmas Sweater, 2016 Soda Favourites.
Unveiling ceremony will be held at Philadelphia Girls’ Rowing Club
Release date: May 13, 2022
Mighty Mississippi
10 stamps, sheet of 10, Release Day Ceremony Memento, FDCs, 2 cancels
USPS also released Field Note books with one of stamp affixed to the cover & canceled with FD cancel.
Mississippi River – American Rivers
Designer: Ethel Kessler
Release date: May 23, 2022
June
Katharine Graham
1 stamp, sheet of 20, FDC, 2 cancels, unveiling ceremony souvenir
Artist: Lynn Staley
Designer: Derry Noyes
Release date: June 14, 2022
Floral Geometry
2 stamps, sheet of 10, sheet of 4, 2 FDCs, 4 cancels
water colour and foil
Designer: Spaeth Hill
Release date: June 20, 2022
Red-headed Duck 2022-2023
Hunting permit stamp
1 hunting license stamp, souvenir sheet, 2 FDCS, silk cover, cancel
Not for postal use.
Stamp features James Hautman’s “Redheads”
The FDC has a pencil sketch of Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger) by artist Rebekah N. Night.
Release date: June 24, 2022
Green-winged Teal 2022-2023
Jr. duck stamp
1 stamp
No for postal use. Not to be used as a hunting stamp
Artist – Madison Grim
Release date: June 24, 2022
July
Nancy Reagan
1 stamp, sheet of 20, FDC, 2 cancels
Designer: Greg Breeding
Release date: July 6, 2022
Mariachi
5 stamps, 5 FDCS, 2 cancels, stamp portfolio
Sorry, no images for the cancels. They were so tiny, I couldn’t grab a good capture. Hoping for better shots later.
Growing up I remember nostalgic weekends listening to the uniquely Mexican sound of Mariachi music in Plaza Garibaldi in Mexico City. Colorful songs that tell stories of celebration, struggles, lost love and joy. Mariachi music is an emblem of Mexican cultural heritage with roots in the United States and followers around the globe. Excited and honored to share the vibrant spirit of Mariachi music with five new Mariachi Forever stamps I created for the United States Postal Service.The 2022 Mariachi stamps will be available soon online and at a post office near you. ¡Viva Mariachi!
Rafael López Jan. 18, 2022
This website has some interesting information on mariachi music and it’s origins Puro Mariachi – History
Designer: Rafael López Rafael López | Official site of Illustrator, Rafael López. (rafaellopez.com)
Release date: July 15, 2022
Pete Seeger (1919-2014)
1 stamp, sheet of 16, 2 FDCs, 2 cancels, 12″ x 24″ poster
There isn’t enough room here to cover Seeger’s storied career. PBS produced a superb show on him and it’s worth the watch.
Designer: Antonio Alcalá
Photographer: Daniel Seeger
Release date: July 21, 2022
August
National Marine Sanctuaries
16 stamps on a sheet, portfolio, 16 FDCs, 2 cancels
NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
The back of this sheet displays a map of the National Marine Sanctuaries, by illustrator Todd M. Detwiler
Designer: Greg Breeding
Release date: August 5, 2022
Pony Cars
5 stamps, 5 FDCs, 2 cancels, portfolio, FD issue pin
USPS also released 5 Field Note books with one of stamp affixed to the cover & canceled with FD cancel
- 969 Ford Mustang Boss 302
- 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T
- 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
- 1967 Mercury Cougar XR-7 GT
- 1969 AMC Javelin SST
Artist: Tom Fritz
Fritz provided artwork for the 2013 Fritz’s Muscle Cars set.
Designer: Zack Bryant
Release date: August 2022
Elephants
1 stamp, booklets, FDC, cancel, FD pin
Artist: Rafael López Rafael López | Official site of Illustrator, Rafael López. (rafaellopez.com)
Designer: Derry Noyes
Release date: August 12, 2022
September
James Webb Space Telescope
1 stamp, sheet of 25, FDC, 2 cancels
A dedication ceremony held:
Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, at 11 a.m. ET
Smithsonian National Postal Museum
2 Massachusetts Ave NE
Washington, DC 20002-4945
Designer: Derry Noyes
Artwork: James Vaughan and an image provided by NASA/Space Telescope Science Institute
Release date: September 8, 2022
Christmas 2022 – Holiday Elves
4 stamps in booklets of 20, 4 FDCs, 2 cancels
A special release ceremony will take place on Sept. 15 at:
Santa Claus House
101 St. Nicholas Drive
North Pole, AK 99705
Special guest at the ceremony will be Santa himself. It’s rumoured Blitzen will take time out of his schedule to attend a well.
Artist: Don Clark
Designer: Antonio Alcalá
Release date: September 15, 2022
Christmas 2022 – Virgin and Child
1 stamp, sheets of 12, FDC, 2 cancels
Features 16th c oil on panel by an attributed to Master of the Scandicci Lamentation, during Italian Renaissance. Held in the Robert Dawson Evans Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The BFA has an excellent digital image online of the painting Virgin and Child – Results – Advanced Search Objects – Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (mfa.org)
Designer: Greg Breeding
Release date: September 22, 2022
Charles M. Schulz – PEANUTS
10 stamps on a sheet of 20, 10 FDCS, 2 cancels, stationary set, field journal notebooks, “Nothing Echoes like an Empty Mailbox” centenary set, stamp pin on a cancelled card
A special release ceremony will take place
Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, at 12 p.m. PDT
Charles M Schulz Museum & Research Center
2301 Hardies Lane
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Designer: Greg Breeding
Photographer: Douglas Kirkland
Release date: September 30, 2022
October
Kwanzaa
1 stamp, sheet of 20, FDC, 2 cancels
Each year, millions of African Americans gather with friends and family throughout the week of Kwanzaa to honor the holiday’s seven founding principles — unity (umoja), cooperative economics (ujamaa), purpose (nia), creativity (kuumba), and faith (imani). Postal Service Dedicating Kwanzaa Forever Stamp – Newsroom – About.usps.com
Official release date:
Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022, at 11 a.m. CDT at:
America’s Center Ferrara Theater
701 Convention Plaza
St. Louis, MO 63101
Original art: Erin Robinson
Designer: Antonio Alcalá
Release date: October 8, 2022
Snowy Beauty
10 stamps, 10 FDCs, 2 cancels
Designer: Gregory Manchess
Release date: October 11, 2022
Women Cryptologists of World War II
1 stamp, FDC, 2 cancels, sheet of 20
offset
Official release ceremony:
National Cryptologic Museum
8290 Colony Seven Road
Annapolis Junction, MD 20701
If you checkout the selvedge edges on the sheets, you’ll see 4 messages that you need to decipher:
ZRPH QF UB SWRORJLVWV RIZRUOGZDULL, FLSKHU, DQDOBCH and VHFUHW
If you decode the messages, leave a comment below.
To learn more about women cryptologists these resources are accessible.
Sharing the Burden: Women in Cryptology during World War II – a 25 pg pdf that is approachable and fascinating.
WWII Women Cracking the Code | National Air and Space Museum (si.edu) The Smithsonian’s brief overview.
Code Girls by Liza Mundy, published New York, NY : Hachette Books, 2018
Designer: Antonio Alcalá
Release date: October 18, 2022
Hanukkah
1 stamp, sheets of 20, FDC, 2 cancels
offset
A special release ceremony will take place
Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, at 11 a.m. ET
Temple Emanu El
4545 Brainard Road
Orange Village, OH 44022-1503
Designer: Jeanette Kuvin Oren
Release date: October 20, 2022
TBA
Butterfly Garden Flowers
2 stamps
Planting a Butterfly Garden: The Ultimate Guide – Gardening Channel
Stuhmiller used a combination of traditional and digital tools to create the art. After hand-carving the images into linoleum blocks, she inked the blocks and pressed them onto paper. The artist then scanned the images into the computer and added color digitally. As in most traditional block printing, the color palette is limited.
Postal Service Issues Nonprofit Butterfly Garden Flower Stamps – Newsroom – About.usps.com
Designer: Antonio Alcalá
Artist: Rigel Stuhmiller Rigel Stuhmiller (@rigel.stuhmiller) • Instagram photos and videos
Stuhmiller is a printmaker and illustrator who specialises in botanical art.
Release date:
The above is not a full list of the 2022 stamp program. More will be released by the USPS as the year progresses. In the meantime, check out Peeking at USPS stamps 2021 to see all of last year’s stamps.
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re: the encrypted text on the WW2 Women Cryptologists. It’s a Caesar Cipher with shift of 3 and decrypts to “WOMEN CRYPTOLOGISTS OF WORLD WAR II CIPHER ANALYZE SECRET”.
ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar_cipher
Thank you for the details! I’ll be sure to post that on the stamp section. I missed that information and it’s amazing!
Cheers
Catpaw