Past Exhibitions

The Graceful Envelope: 1998

These 75 hand-crafted envelopes were submitted by professional calligraphers from around the world.

May 6, 1998 – April 30, 1999

Postal Museum
State, Local, and Tribal Waterfowl Stamps

See more than 40 rare state, local, and tribal waterfowl stamps, part of the legacy of state and local conservation programs started to restore dwindling North American waterfowl populations; unlike federal duck stamps, most of these are nonpictorial.

July 4, 1998 – December 31, 1998

Postal Museum
Rural Routes: Folk Art Mailboxes of America: 1998

See the winning mailbox from the National Postal Museum's Folk Art Mailbox Contest and photographs of the 10 runners-up.

July 30, 1998 – November 5, 1998

Postal Museum
New Deal Architecture

Vintage photos explore the unique architectural style of federal post offices across America during the New Deal, known at the time as "starved classical."

October 1, 1996 – September 23, 1998

Postal Museum
Our Town: Mural Art of the New Deal Era

On view are 17 mural studies commissioned for U.S. Post Offices during the Great Depression as part of FDR's New Deal legislation.

May 1, 1998 – September 9, 1998

Postal Museum
Mail to the Chief: The Stamp Designs of Franklin Delano Roosevelt

See 16 stamps from Roosevelt's collection, including several bearing his own designs.

January 30, 1998 – July 2, 1998

Postal Museum
Colombian Stamps

A collection of 500 stamps represent Columbia's states and the country's history from 1859-1907.

Spring 1997 – May 5, 1998

Postal Museum
A Far Distant Land: Letters from the Mexican War

Letters from Lt. William McKean to his family in Arkansas describe his experiences in the Mexican War (1847-1848).

October 5, 1997 – May 4, 1998

Postal Museum
Reinventing Government: The Transformation of America's Postal System

Editorial cartoons and contemporary accounts shed light on the events surrounding the 1971 Postal Reform Act, which transformed the Post Office Department, then a federal agency, into the United States Postal Service.

July 1, 1996 – March 13, 1998

Postal Museum
The First Federal Postage Stamp Issue

Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the first U.S. postage stamps, on view are the 5-cent and 10-cent federal stamps, original documents, covers from the stamps' early history, and die proofs.

June 27, 1997 – January 12, 1998

Postal Museum
Maps on Stamps

See more than 100 U.S. and foreign stamps featuring portions of the world's geography, including oceans, countries, and states.

September 15, 1995 – October 15, 1997

Postal Museum
The Graceful Envelope (1997)

Hand-crafted envelopes submitted by professional calligraphers from around the world feature a range of calligraphic methods and styles.

May 23, 1997 – October 4, 1997

Postal Museum
More American Stamps

See commemorative and definitive stamps issued in the United States between 1988 and 1996.

April 1, 1997 – September 16, 1997

Postal Museum
Stamps & Stories

Discover interesting facts behind the creation of 6 individual stamps.

October 21, 1996 – September 11, 1997

Postal Museum
Winners of the 1997-1998 Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest

The 50 state winners of the 1997-1998 Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest are on view.

July 11, 1997 – July 30, 1997

Postal Museum
An Historic Collection from the French Revolution and Napoleonic Era

See pre-stamp letters and historic documents that trace the French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon.

December 8, 1995 – May 15, 1997

Postal Museum
Ties That Bind: The Newcomers' Experience

This small collection of letters, photos, and related objects examines the relationship between American immigrants and their families.

October 11, 1996 – May 1, 1997

Postal Museum
Are We There Yet? Vacationing in America

Take a whimsical look at American-style vacationing through this display of 25 postcards from popular destinations and tourist spots.

May 12, 1995 – April 20, 1997

Postal Museum
Letters of a New Republic: The American Post from the Colonial Era to the Early National Period

Mail covers -- some franked by important people of the day -- illustrate mail carried in America by British and American Posts.

November 24, 1996 – April 15, 1997

Postal Museum
More American Stamps

See commemorative and definitive stamps issued in the United States between 1977 and 1995.

September 29, 1995 – April 10, 1997

Postal Museum
Chess Stamps

This topical display features stamps that share the theme of chess, including stamps depicting famous chess world champions and traditional chess pieces.

October 21, 1996 – December 15, 1996

Postal Museum
The Jenny Class Reunion

This exhibition reunites more than 20 of the 1918 Inverted Jenny stamps.

July 30, 1996 – October 30, 1996

Postal Museum
Japanese Rarities

This exhibition features rare Japanese philatelic items from the Christenson collection.

April 30, 1996 – October 20, 1996

Postal Museum
Fakes and Forgeries

Examine philatelic items that have been counterfeited, faked, or forged to defraud the Postal Service or unsuspecting collectors.

February 9, 1996 – October 20, 1996

Postal Museum
The Graceful Envelope (1996)

These 40 uniquely designed, hand-crafted envelopes, submitted by professional calligraphers from around the world, illustrate different calligraphic methods and styles.

May 1, 1996 – October 6, 1996

Postal Museum

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