UX241 20c Winter Scene, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black,
lithographed. The scene could be from almost any farm in rural America - the completion of a
winter homecoming as a horse-drawn sleigh glides across the snow toward the family farm,
accented by a bright red barn glowing in the afternoon sun. "John Comes Home for
Christmas," an oil painting by Dale Nichols, was the subject of a new U.S. Postal Service
"Winter Scene" postal card issued on February 23, 1996 in Watertown, NY
The Winter Scene postal card is part of the "Scenic America" series, launched last year with the "Red Barn" postal card. Howard Paine, of Delaplane, Va., designed the card using Nichols' popular painting, "John Comes Home for Christmas." The original painting, first shown in 1939 at San Francisco's Golden Gate Exposition, was donated in 1943 to Nichols' friend, Father Edward Flanagan, for Boys' Town. Nichols (1904-1995), spent his first 20 years on a Nebraska farm, living the typical life of a farm boy while developing an interest in art. After 10 years as an advertising artist, Nichols began painting and his sixteenth oil, "The End of the Hunt," was awarded a William Randolph Hearst Award for art in 1935. A leader in the American Regionalist movement of the 1930s, Nichols' paintings depict rural scenes in a realistic fashion, defining objects with clean-edged precision.
Set of twenty 20c Olympic
Classics, multicolored, lithographed, issued May 2, 1996 in Watertown, New York, although the first day cancel was in Washington, DC. These cards were sold in booklets of twenty different cards. Each card has a larger picture on the
reverse.
The 1996 Olympic Games stamps, designed by Richard Waldrep of Sparks, Maryland, capture athletes at the height of performance in 20 Olympic events, including Beach Volleyball, Women's Soccer and Women's Softball, which are involved in medal competition for the first time. Waldrep previously designed the 1992 Summer Olympic Games stamps and the 1993 Country & Western stamps. As a freelance illustrator the past 20 years, Waldrep has designed everything from the box for Parker Brothers' "Crackers in my Bed" board game, to the cover of this year's NFL Pro Bowl magazine. "But," Waldrep adds, "I consider some of my best work the stamps I have designed for the Postal Service. The Olympic stamps are probably the most accurate depictions of human form we've ever done. We went through a long process to make sure the musculature and poses are right on all 20 stamps."
UX242 20c Men's cycling
UX243 20c Women's diving
UX244 20c Women's running
UX245 20c Men's canoeing
UX246 20c Decathlon (javelin)
UX246a 20c Decathlon (javelin), inverted impression of entire address die, mem's cycling picture on reverse.
UX247 20c Women's soccer
UX248 20c Men's shot put
UX249 20c Women's sailboarding
UX250 20c Women's gymnastics
UX251 20c Freestyle wrestling
UX252 20c Women's softball
UX253 20c Women's swimming
UX254 20c Men's sprints
UX255 20c Men's rowing
UX256 20c Beach volleyball
UX257 20c Men's basketball
UX258 20c Equestrian
UX259 20c Men's gymnastics
UX260 20c Men's swimming
UX261 20c Men's hurdles
UX262 20c St. John's College, multicolored, lithographed, issued June 1, 1996 in Annapolis, Maryland to celebrate three centuries of education. A direct descendent of King William's School, St. John's College traces its roots back to 1696, and includes Francis Scott Key and George Washington's step-grandson and two nephews as alumni. Under the charter of 1784, St. John's with Washington College became the first University of Maryland. Among the founders of the college were four signers of the
Declaration of Independence: William Paca, Charles Carroll, Thomas Stone, and Samuel Chase.
Five years after receiving its charter, St. John's began accepting students.
The postal card, designed by Harry Devlin, an artist known for his portrayal of America's architectural heritage, uses St. John's most important historical building, McDowell Hall, to honor the school's 300-year heritage. Work on the building began in 1742, when Governor Thomas Bladen started construction of a new home to serve as his mansion. Three years into the project, with work behind schedule and costs over budget, the building came to be known as "Bladen's Folly."
The State of Maryland purchased the unfinished building for use as the main hall of St. John's College. The building was completed and named after St. John's first president, John McDowell. Until 1837, McDowell Hall was the only building on campus and served as both classroom and sleeping quarters. During the Civil War the building served as headquarters for the Union Army Medical Corps, which used it as a hospital for exchanged prisoners.
On February 20, 1909, the building was gutted by fire. In 1952, a fire confined to the basement brought about the replacement of the original wooden beams that had been in place since 1744. In 1989, the building was renovated to appear as it had when first completed in the late 18th century. McDowell Hall is considered the third oldest academic building in continuous use in the United States, bested only by the Sir Christopher Wren Building at the College of William and Mary, and Massachusetts Hall at Harvard University.
UX263 20c Princeton University, multicolored, lithographed featuring
Alexander Hall, issued September 20, 1996 in Princeton, New Jersey. One hundred years ago, a
recently-completed Alexander Hall served as the site for Princeton University's sesquicentennial
celebration. A century later, as Princeton celebrates its 250th anniversary, Alexander Hall again
was the center of attention as the U.S. Postal Service issued a postal card in the "Historic
Preservation" series commemorating Alexander Hall.
Chartered in 1746 as the College of New Jersey, Princeton was British North America's fourth college. First located in Elizabeth, then in Newark, the College moved to Princeton in 1756, where it was housed in Nassau Hall, which contained the entire College for nearly half a century. The school officially adopted the name "Princeton University" at the time of its Sesquicentennial in 1896. Five years later, in 1901, the Graduate School was established.
Commissioned in 1892, Alexander Hall was designed by William A. Potter in the American Romanesque style and is rich in ornate detail. Mrs. Harriet Crocker Alexander gave the building to honor her husband's family, of which three generations had served Princeton as trustees. Alexander Hall was formally dedicated in June of 1894, at the commencement exercises that year.
Lewis said that in Alexander Hall, Potter revealed his mastery of the style, successfully solving the challenge of designing a college assembly hall providing a large area of free-flowing space in the ambulatory, which embraces three-quarters of the building. Through the consistent use of strong basic shapes and the rich but refined use of ornament and textural contrasts, he gave scale and monumentality to the building. "The progressive ideas that grew out of Richardson's architectural leadership have been generally under-appreciated by succeeding generations," said Lewis. "He introduced a new freedom and functionalism in design, a sensitivity to the characteristics of materials and an ingenuity in their use, an emphasis on structural elements, and a new sense of space which expressed itself in the more flexible free-flowing plans. Exuberance and vitality of ornament and surface gave an originality of design and sense of scale to be envied."
The card was designed by Howard Koslow, an artist known for his portrayal of America's architectural heritage.
Set of fifteen 20c Endangered Species, multicolored, lithographed, issued October 2, 1996 at the San Diego Zoo San Diego, Caifornia. These cards were issued as a set bound three-to-a-page in a sourvenir booklet.
"We hope these beautiful images will increase awareness of these at-risk animals, and other endangered species," said Postmaster General Marvin Runyon. "These stamps continue, not only the Postal Services dedication to the environment, but our dedication to promoting the educational benefits of stamp collecting to our nations youth, as well".
Fifteen animals found on the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species list are featured on the stamps. The postcards are based on photographs taken by world-renowned nature photographer James Balog. Balog's work has appeared in publications such as National Geographic and Outside magazine, and has been featured in exhibitions worldwide.
UX264 20c Florida panther
UX265 20c Black-footed ferret
UX266 20c American crocodile
UX267 20c Piping plover
UX268 20c Gila trout
UX269 20c Florida manatee
UX270 20c Schaus swallowtail butterly
UX271 20c Woodland caribou
UX272 20c Thick-billed parrot
UX273 20c San Francisco garter snake
UX274 20c Ocelot
UX275 20c Wyoming toad
UX276 20c California condor
UX277 20c Hawaiian monk seal
UX278 20c Brown pelican
