The U.S. Postal Service is set to release a new collection of stamps celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Shakers’ arrival in America. The Shaker Design stamps, a set of 12, honor the simplicity and utility that define Shaker craftsmanship. The stamps feature photographs of various Shaker items, capturing their refined and timeless beauty.
A first-day-of-issue event, free and open to the public, will be held on Thursday, June 20, at noon (EDT). The event will take place at Hancock Shaker Village, located at 1843 W. Housatonic St., Pittsfield, MA. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP at usps.com/shakerdesign. The announcement of the stamps is being promoted with the hashtag #ShakerDesignStamps.
Stefanie A. Curry, the postmaster of the Pittsfield, MA, Post Office, will be present at the event. The stamps, designed by Derry Noyes and featuring photographs by Michael Freeman, are arranged in three rows of four stamps each.
The first row includes images of a meeting room at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, MA; the tannery at Shaker Village of Mount Lebanon, New Lebanon, NY; a spinning wheel from Fruitlands Museum, Harvard, MA; and staircases in the Trustees’ Office and Guest House at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Harrodsburg, KY.
The second row features a dwelling house hallway and silk neckerchiefs from South Union Shaker Village, Auburn, KY; a rocking chair from Canterbury Shaker Village, Canterbury, NH; and the “swallowtail” joints of a bentwood box from Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield, MA.
The third row showcases a heater stove at Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield, MA; a cupboard with bentwood boxes and a collection of bentwood boxes and carriers at Fruitlands Museum, Harvard, MA; and cheese baskets in the dairy at Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield, MA.
The pane selvage features a black-and-white photograph of Brother Ricardo Belden in his workshop at Hancock Shaker Village, taken by Samuel Kravitt around 1935.
Shaker Design stamps are being issued as Forever stamps, maintaining their value equal to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price.