Ansel Adams’ Timeless Portraits Immortalized on Stamps

Ansel Adams Stamps

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CA — Today, the Postal Service shined new light on the majestic black-and-white photography of Ansel Adams with stamps celebrating his iconic work. Adams was one of America’s most renowned and influential artists. A dedication ceremony for the stamps was held at the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite National Park. News of the stamps is being shared with the hashtag #AnselAdamsStamps.

“As a masterful photographer and dedicated environmentalist, Ansel Adams allowed Americans from all corners of the nation to experience the wonders of our country in vivid detail,” said Daniel Tangherlini, a member of the USPS Board of Governors. “There have been many advances in photographic technology in recent decades, but the clarity and character of an Ansel Adams image is timeless and unsurpassed, just like you see on these stamps unveiled here today.”

As an artist, Adams sought to imbue each of his black-and-white prints with the power and wonder he felt in the presence of nature. As an activist, he influenced U.S. environmental policy by employing his photographs as lobbying tools. Many of his images of the country’s most beautiful places — including the Yosemite Valley, the Tetons and Denali — became icons of the environmental movement.

Throughout a photographic career spanning seven decades, Adams received praise and recognition for his work. The University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard and Yale universities awarded him honorary doctorates. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York held a retrospective exhibition of his photography in 1974, as did the Museum of Modern Art, in 1979. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter awarded Adams the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“Ansel’s passion for his craft, willingness to share his approach and technique, and dedication to both protecting and preserving the environment had a profound influence on how I approached my own journey as a photographer,” said Alan Ross. “It’s wonderful to see Ansel’s artistry and love for natural wonders like Yosemite embodied on U.S. postage stamps.”

The first row of stamps, left to right, features “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); and “Denali and Wonder Lake, Denali National Park, Alaska” (1947).

The second row, left to right, features “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); and “Leaves, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington” (c.1942).

The third row, left to right, features “Monument Valley, Arizona” (1958); “Tetons and Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming” (1942); “Jeffrey Pine, Sentinel Dome, Yosemite National Park, California” (1940); and “Mirror Lake, Mount Watkins, Spring, Yosemite National Park, California” (1935).

The fourth row, left to right, features “Maroon Bells, near Aspen, Colorado” (1951); “Aspens, Dawn, Autumn, Dolores River Canyon, Colorado” (1937); “Road After Rain, Northern California” (1960); and “Dunes, Oceano, California” (1963).

As evidenced by the striking images in this collection, Adams devoted much of his career to the advancement of photography as a fine art. He wrote and photographed extensively for the Sierra Club Bulletin, exhibited his prints at museums across the country, gave lectures on photography’s artistic merit, taught thousands of students in workshops, and helped create the first museum photography department, at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

“It’s an incredible honor for Ansel,” said Matthew Adams, his grandson. “It shows that his popularity continues 40 years after he passed. His work resonates across time. He would be excited and honored.”

Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps using existing photographs. The Postal Service printed 20 million Ansel Adams stamps, which come in panes of 16. The stamps are issued as Forever stamps, which are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1 ounce price.

Pointless: This Town’s Mail Will Go 104 Miles Away

66,261 views May 1, 2024

Postmaster DeJoy wants to make the USPS more efficient. So his solution is to take mail from this rural Wyoming town, send it to be sorted in Denver, and then ship it back to Wyoming again. It’s not just absurd. It’s also disastrous for postal workers and rural residents. And it’s going to make all of our mail slower, too.

More Perfect Union is a nonprofit media organization with a mission to build power for working people. Learn more here.

Senator introduces bill to prohibit “unnecessary” plant consolidations

In response to the United States Postal Service (USPS) finalizing the decision to relocate Missoula’s Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) outgoing processing operations to Spokane, Washington, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today introduced his Protecting Access to Rural Carriers for Every Location (PARCEL) Act – legislation to prohibit unnecessary and harmful consolidation of mail processing operations nationwide. Continue reading

Michigan county starts petition drive to block “Delivering for America Plan”

Dickinson County, Michigan. Faced with the consolidation with the Green Bay processing center and reduction in local services in the Upper Peninsula’s only mail processing plant, the Dickinson County Board of Commissioners has begun a local and nationwide online petition campaign. The petition, which is available on change.org, is entitled ”Demand the USPS Board of Governors Abandon the “Delivering for America Plan.”

By proposing a nationwide petition campaign, the board of commissioners hopes to unite with other individuals and communities across the nation who face the same concerns about potentially negative changes to America’s postal delivery system.

Speaking on behalf of Dickinson County, Commissioner Barbara Kramer stated, “The Dickinson County Board of Commissioners believes that our Kingsford, Michigan Post Office Processing Center MUST not only survive, but must expand to serve all of the residents of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in a timely and efficient way. The proposed USPS DELIVERING FOR AMERICA plan takes away the efficiencies of our local distribution center and has the potential to damage our way and quality of life. Therefore, we strongly support any and all efforts by our congressional leaders to stop the rollout of this plan.”

The Dickinson County Board of Commissioners Petition can be found here.

https://chng.it/5VDWFTZZ79

The Board of Commissioners- Henry Wender, Barbara Kramer, John Degenaer, Jr., Joe Stevens and Ann Martin- is the governing body of Dickinson County. Commissioners oversee county properties and establish budgets, participate in, or chair county committees, boards and commissions, as well as actively participate in a wide range of community events, programs, and committees.

https://www.dickinsoncountymi.gov/government/county_departments/board_of_commissioners/index.php

USPS notifies NRLCA of payroll errors affecting over 45,000 rural carriers; ALL affected carriers will be entitled to salary advances on Friday

Statement from the National Rural Letter Carriers Association:

The NRLCA has learned about an egregious payroll error this pay period affecting more than 45,000 rural carriers. We have had multiple discussions with the USPS yesterday and into the night. All affected carriers will be entitled to salary advances on Friday. Continue reading