Hasta La Ideas

In case you were taking a break from all your philately during the holiday season, you might have missed the US Postal Service‘s announcement for a new set of stamps to be released this July. Entitled Pioneers of American Industrial Design, it includes a number of famous designed-in-America objects, from Greta von Nessen‘s 1951 “Anywhere” lamp to Peter Muller-Munk‘s “Normandie” pitcher. And in a particularly heart-warming behind-the-scenes story behind the new release, the objects on display were selected by the USPS’ Art Director, Derry Noyes, daughter of Eliot Noyes, the long-time designer for IBM whose “Selectric” typewriter is included in the set (well worth your time reading this 2006 story in Metropolis about life in the Noyes’ ultra-modern New Canaan house). Here are the stamps’ specifics:

The selvage features a photograph of the “Airflow” fan designed by Robert Heller around 1937. Denis Farley photographed the fan for The Macdonald Stewart Foundation.

Each stamp includes the designer’s name, the type of object, and the year or years when the object was created. The pane’s verso includes a brief introduction to the history and importance of American industrial design, as well as text that identifies each object and briefly tells something about each designer.

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