The Emily Dickinson Stamp

History

In 1971, an Emily Dickinson stamp was issued by the US Postal service. On the first day of issue, several kinds of envelopes were stamped and postmarked with the new stamp. All are postmarked Aug 28, 1971 in Amherst, MA and are stamped with an 8-cent Emily Dickinson stamp with a "First Day of Issue" postmark unless otherwise noted.

The Images

In most cases, only front scans of the covers are available because the back side of the covers was unadorned. Comments about what is written on the front or back by the publisher are included below.

Bow Wow Local Post FDC

front "Bow Wow Local Post Honors America's Poets Abraham Lincoln & Emily Dickinson" Also contains an 8c "stamp" of Abraham Lincoln; a sticker with his profile and his handwriting ("Abraham Lincoln his hand and pen. he will be good but god knows When") and a mention of Bow Wow Local Post. Also postmarked by Bow Wow Local Post.

Colonial Cachet

front "Emily Dickinson" "The pedigree of honey Does not concern the bee A clover, anytime, to him Is aristocracy." Colonial Cachet. Stamped with an 8-cent Emily Dickinson stamp, plus a 3c "100 years of progress of women" stamp, a 5c Shakespeare stamp, a 3c Edgar Allan Poe stamp, a 3c Joel Chandler Harris stamp, and a 3c William Allen White stamp.

Artopages FDC

front "Honoring the American Poets Second in a Series Emily Dickinson Famous for Letters and Verses to Friends A Woman's Walt Whitman 1830-1886"

Artcraft FDC

front "First day of issue" "Emily Dickinson 1830-1886 American Poet"

Sarzin FDC

front Sarzin metallic first day cover.

Anderson FDC

front Anderson first day cover. "Emily Norcross Dickinson, American Poetess, was born in 1830, at Amherst, Mass. With only the equivalent of a high school education she gained a wealth of words by reading the dictionary, page by page as one would read a novel. Although few of her poems were published during her lifetime, her work has enjoyed mounting critical acclaim in recent years. After her death in 1886 some 2000 poems were found tucked away in a bureau; fifty or so were great poems."

Fleetwood FDC

front "2nd stamp American Poet Series honoring Emily Dickinson 1830-1886 There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away nor any coursers like a page of prancing poetry -" "First day of issue - Fleetwood"

Farnam FDC

front Farnam first day cover. "Emily Dickinson Poet 1830-1886 First Day Cover HF"

Aristocrats FDC

front Aristocrats first day cover. "Emily Dickinson 1830-1886 American Poet Emily Dickinson was born and lived at Amherst, Massachusetts. Most of her poetry was published posthumously, and her short, penetrating judgments on life verse have only recently become known and valued at their owrth. "Poems by Emily Dickinson," edited by two of her friends, appeared in 1890." "The Aristrocrats - Day Lowry"

Jackson FDC

front "American Poet Emily Dickinson 1830-1886" "First day of issue - Jackson"

Bazaar #32 FDC

front "If I can stop one heart from breaking I shall not live in vain. Emily Dickinson 1830-1886 American Poet Series Bazaar 32 First Day of Issue"

Cover Craft FDC

front Cover craft first day cover. "American Poet Emily Dickinson 1830-1886" "Dickinson Home, Amherst, Mass."

back "Emily Dickinson is the second American Poet to be memorialized in this series. She was born in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1830 and went into seclusion at the age of 30. It has been suggested that an unrequited love affair altered her life in this way. Her eccentricity was also exhibited in her clothing which was always white in later life. She shared her poetry with only a few good friends and a small number of poems were published anonymously. It was not until after her death at age 54 that the bulk of her work reached the public. Miss Dickinson's poems were greeted with immediate acclaim for their sensitivity and originality."

Fleetwood FDC

front "Emily Dickinson One of America's leading poets, she searched for life's meaning in her work." Also stamped with a 22c Liberty stamp.

back Biographical sketch of Emily Dickinson.

Reinmuller FDC

front Contains her "Because I could not stop for Death" poem on the front, and a biographical sketch of Emily Dickinson inside.

Homestead Photograph Postcard

front Emily Dickinson's home, with a first day cancellation of the Emily Dickinson stamp.

back "Home of Emily Dickinson, 280 Main Street, Amherst, Massachusetts. Near midnight, Dec. 10, 1830, Emily Dickinson was born in this brick mansion. Built in 1813 by her grandfather, Samuel Fowler Dickinson, one of the founders of Amherst College, it was the first brick dwelling-house in Amherst. Within this house and its adjacent garden she spent the greater part of her life, and here she wrote the verse which has given her so high a place in the field of American letters and recognition among the leading women poets of all time." Divided back, stamp box, unused. Published by Bromley & Co, Boston MA. Color by Mike Roberts, Berkeley, CA. #MA1085, #C8897 in stamp box.

Town of Amherst FDC

front A view of the Dickinson homestead from an 1858 Lithograph. Town of Amherst Massachusetts official cachet. Included with it, but not scanned here, is a one-page biography of Emily Dickinson.

Artmaster FDC

front Portrait of Emily Dickinson; from the American Poet Series by Artmaster.

B. Kraft FDC

front Handpainted vase with bouquet of flowers.

Ellis FDC

front Handcolored cartoon of Emily Dickinson.

Colorano Card FDC

front Colorano "Silk" Cachet Card.

Colorano "Silk" FDC

front Colorano "Silk" Cachet Cover.

Prestige FDC

front Portrait of Emily Dickinson, American poet.

Marg FDC

front The Dickinson House in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Unidentified FDC

front "This is my letter to the world/That never wrote to me,-/The simple news that Nature told/With tender majesty./Her message is committed/To hands I cannot see;/For love of her, sweet countrymen,/Judge tenderly of me!"

C. Stephen Anderson FDC

front "Emily Norcross Dickinson, American poetess, was born in 1830, at Amherst, Mass. With only the equivalent of a high school education she gained a wealth of words by reading the dictionary, page by page as one would read a novel. Although fewof her poems were published during her lifetime, her work has enjoyed mounting critical acclaim in recent years. After her death in 1886 some 2000 poems were found tucked away in a bureau; fifty or so were great poems."

Gold FDC

front The FDC contains a gold replica of the Emily Dickinson stamp next to an encapsulated real stamp. A biography (not scanned here) is included on the back.