Today’s #stampoftheday is the 5-cent “Toward United Nations” stamp issued on the day that representatives from 46 war-weary nations that had their first meeting (in San Francisco) to discuss what became the United Nations. The stamp’s simple design, including its wording were suggested by President Franklin Roosevelt, an avid stamp collector who died about two weeks before the stamp was issued. Roosevelt not only personally approving each of more than 200 stamp designs issued during his presidency but also suggested topics, rejected others, and even designed some himself. He supposedly wanted to use stamps to educate Americans about the country’s history and to raise spirits and provide hope during the Great Depression and also during World War II.

Bonus #stampoftheday for 4-25 (discovered when I was putting some back into my dad’s albums) is this 1-cent stamp with George Washington from 1938. It’s the first in a series of of 29 stamps with all the presidents from Washington to Taft plus Martha Washington (who’s coming up in. few days and stamp showing the White House.) The series was issued to replace an earlier series of stamps with presidents that had been in use for over a decade. President Roosevelt “suggested” the Postmaster General stage a contest to design the stamps. Over 1,100 sketches were submitted, many from veteran stamp collectors. Elaine Rawlinson, who who had studied at the National Academy of Design, the Beaux Art Institute of Design and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Country School (but had little knowledge of stamps), won the contest and collected the $500 prize. She was the first woman to design a stamp and was also the first person to design a stamp who was not a government employee. I couldn’t find any more about her life after this. Sadly, it took 25 years for another stamp to be designed by a woman, the 1963 Xmas stamp, which was designed by painter Lily Spandorf.