A 1997 law directed the U.S. Postal Service to issue
its first semipostal, a stamp sold with a surcharge
to raise funds for a specific cause. Other countries
have had mixed success with fundraising stamps, but
the subject for the first U.S. semipostal was one that
Americans truly took to heart: breast cancer research.
Stamps
that highlight sensitive social issues are often extremely
difficult to design, especially stamps that focus
on diseases. In late 1997, U.S. Postal Service art
director Ethel Kessler, herself a breast cancer survivor,
began experimenting with concepts involving photographs
and the pink ribbon that symbolizes breast cancer
awareness. But when the preliminary designs proved
to be far too somber, she decided to explore fresh
approaches by enlisting illustrator Whitney Sherman
of Baltimore, Maryland.
Sherman
developed numerous
pencil sketches and color studies showing women
in various poses, all of them intriguing; however,
one design really stood out. It pictured a woman reaching
above and behind her, as if preparing to conduct a
breast self-examination. Mindful of mythology, Sherman
remembered Diana, goddess of the hunt—a strong,
independent, survival-minded figure—and the
artwork developed into a depiction of the goddess
reaching for an arrow. Kessler and Sherman finalized
this heroic and hopeful image by removing a target
from the figure’s right breast and encircling
the area with a concise phrase. The text complemented
the visuals and clearly encapsulated the message of
the stamp: “Fund the fight. Find a cure.”
Combining
an evocative design with fundraising for a worthy
cause, the Breast Cancer Research semipostal has exceeded
every expectation, with more than 440 million stamps
sold since its issuance in 1998. The
stamp, which continues to enjoy steady sales,
has raised in excess of $30 million for breast cancer
research.
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