The U.S. Postal Service will issue the Maine Statehood Forever stamp on Sunday and hold a dedication ceremony at a later date. The stamp features a view of an Ogunquit cove painted by Edward Hopper, a revered American artist who spent nine summers capturing the coast of Maine in the early 1900s. Image courtesy of U.S Postal Service
U.S. Postal Service officials had planned to dedicate Maine’s bicentennial stamp as part of the Statehood Day celebration at the Augusta Armory on Sunday.
Despite the party’s postponement amid coronavirus concerns, the Maine Statehood Forever stamp will still be issued and available for purchase online starting Sunday, and at post offices nationwide starting Monday.
The postal service will reschedule the dedication to a later date, likely whenever Maine’s Bicentennial Commission reschedules the Statehood Day celebration, said David Coleman, USPS spokesman.
The Maine Statehood Forever stamp recognizes the 200th anniversary of Maine’s separation from Massachusetts on March 15, 1820. It features an Edward Hopper painting, “Sea at Ogunquit,” which he painted in 1914 during his first visit to Maine. The original oil-on-canvas, roughly 24 inches by 30 inches, is in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
Stamps may be purchased by visiting usps.com/shopstamps or by calling 800-782-6724.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
