Photo – courtesy of Ansel Adams ©
The Postal Service has launched a new collection of stamps celebrating the iconic black-and-white photography of Ansel Adams, one of America’s most renowned artists. The dedication ceremony took place at the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite National Park.
“Ansel Adams, both a masterful photographer and dedicated environmentalist, allowed Americans to experience the wonders of our country in vivid detail,” said Daniel Tangherlini, USPS Board of Governors. “His images, timeless and unsurpassed, capture the clarity and character that remains unmatched, as seen in these stamps unveiled today.”
Adams’ work aimed to convey the power and wonder he felt in nature. His photographs influenced U.S. environmental policy, becoming icons of the environmental movement, featuring scenes from Yosemite Valley, the Tetons, and Denali.
Adams’ career spanned seven decades, earning him honorary doctorates from UC Berkeley, Harvard, and Yale, and exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The stamp collection features Adams’ renowned works, including:
First row: “Half Dome, Merced River, Winter, Yosemite National Park, California” (1938); “Oak Tree, Sunset City, Sierra Foothills, California” (1962); “Thundercloud, Ellery Lake, High Sierra, Sierra Nevada, California” (1934); “Denali and Wonder Lake, Denali National Park, Alaska” (1947).
Second row: “The Golden Gate and Bridge from Baker Beach, San Francisco, California” (c.1953); “Road and Fog, Del Monte Forest, Pebble Beach, California” (1964); “Rock and Grass, Moraine Lake, Sequoia National Park, California” (1936); “Leaves, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington” (c.1942).
Third row: “Monument Valley, Arizona” (1958); “Tetons and Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming” (1942); “Jeffrey Pine, Sentinel Dome, Yosemite National Park, California” (1940); “Mirror Lake, Mount Watkins, Spring, Yosemite National Park, California” (1935).
Fourth row: “Maroon Bells, near Aspen, Colorado” (1951); “Aspens, Dawn, Autumn, Dolores River Canyon, Colorado” (1937); “Road After Rain, Northern California” (1960); “Dunes, Oceano, California” (1963).
Adams dedicated much of his career to advancing photography as a fine art, contributing to the Sierra Club Bulletin, exhibiting nationally, teaching workshops, and helping establish the first museum photography department at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
The stamps, designed by USPS art director Derry Noyes using existing photographs, come in panes of 16 with 20 million printed. They are issued as Forever stamps, always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.
