The Latest Stamp Act

The United States Postal Service just announced some of its plans for new stamps in 2025.

Among the subjects are “Battlefields of the American Revolution,” as shown above:

Marking the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War, this pane of 15 stamps invites us to witness and remember five turning points in the fight for American independence. Watercolor paintings depicting scenes of five battles appear alongside photographs of sites involved in each battle. Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps with art by Greg Harlin and photographs by Jon Bilous, Richard Lewis, Tom Morris, Gregory J. Parker and Kevin Stewart.

I like the juxtaposing of history painting and travel photography. And it’s interesting to see how Harlin tackled the challenge of his artwork needing to work by halves.

But which battles are commemorated?

• Lexington and Concord (1775).
• Bunker Hill (1775).
• Trenton (1776).
• Saratoga (1777).
• Yorktown (1781).

That’s an even more limited presentation of the Revolutionary War than usual. Of course, featuring only American victories and moral victories cuts down the list of possible battles considerably. But this series suggests that only one fight mattered during the last five years of the war and in any state south-southeast of New Jersey.