National Postal Museum

An Iconic Image & Kiss Recalled

 

Edith Shain didn’t remember what the young, eager sailor who kissed her in Times Square on VJ Day looked like, but she did fondly recount the experience of that day. Alfred Eisenstaedt captured the moment of the kiss in a photo that Shain said, “[...] says so many things: hope, love, peace and tomorrow. The end of the war was a wonderful experience, and that photo represents all those feelings." When designing a stamp to commemorate VJ Day, Eisenstaedt’s photo won the honor of being featured, as everyone agreed that it depicts the celebratory nature of the end of World War II.

 

Sadly, Edith Shain passed away on June 20^th of cancer at the age of 91. Shain was in New York on August 14, 1945 because she was working as a nurse at Doctors Hospital. She and a friend headed to Times Square to participate in the celebrations upon hearing the news of the surrender of Japan. Little did she know that a sailor would grab her in the now infamous embrace. Shain later headed for Los Angeles, where she initially worked as a nurse before switching to teaching. She did not admit to being the nurse in Eisenstaedt’s iconic picture until 1980, because she felt ashamed for letting a stranger kiss her. While many nurses and sailors came forward at different times to lay claim to the photo, Eisenstaedt seems to have believed that Shain was indeed the woman whom he failed to identify after snapping the shot. Shain said of her meeting with the photographer, "He looked at my legs and said I was the one.”

 

Regardless of the identities of the people in the photo, it remains an image that portrays the essence of relief in America over the surrender of Japan and the end of the war. After agreeing that no other picture could be used on a VJ Day commemoration stamp, designers began the process of trying to figure out how a vertical image could be used on a horizontal stamp. The photograph is successful mostly because it shows the full-length couple with amused onlookers in the background. However, trying to keep the nurse and sailor in full on the stamp made them too small. The design team settled on making the image on the stamp a close-up of the kiss, thereby picturing the two just below the waist and up. The original design proved too close, with Eisenstaedt objecting that his photo “looked too violent, too aggressive.” By making the image less tight and loosening the sailor’s hold, the designers produced a final product truer to the original photograph.

Even though Edith Shain has passed away, she will be memorialized forever through Eisenstaedt’s image and the VJ Day commemorative stamp. She may have resisted admitting her involvement in the kiss for some time, but ultimately Shain recognized the importance of the moment. She said of the kiss, “Someone grabbed me and kissed me, and I let him because he fought for his country.”

To Learn More Check Out:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/23/AR2010062305311.html

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-edith-shain-20100624,0,4968153.story

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hzUbdDd51t2OOSbotzGv6FiueLbgD9GH4AGO0

 

Philatelic Fervor at Pine Spring Elementary

The students at Pine Spring Elementary are excited for the summer. So excited, in fact, that in a classroom with a countdown of the school year on the wall, one of the more recent numbers has a smiley face. When I visited Pine Spring in Falls Church, Virginia on June 14, 2010 with some of my colleagues from the Postal Museum, we got caught up in the summer fever as well, giving the kids a taste of freedom by talking to them about something interesting and fresh—stamps. 

Upon arrival at Pine Spring, Alex Haimann, Beth Simmonds, Jennifer Atwood and I were herded to our first classroom, where a group of third graders sat in wait on the floor. Alex, my supervisor, proceeded to give them a presentation on his own personal history with stamp collecting and the ability of philatelic items to give access to the past. He shared some items that he had brought with him, allowing the students to hold treasures that in any normal museum setting they would only be able to see through glass. Items that brought particular delight included covers with the signatures of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. After this presentation, Alex gave a couple more to fourth and fifth graders, changing things slightly as the day progressed.

A student looks at a picture with the real signatures of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins of the Apollo 11 mission. 

After the presentations, we switched gears and helped students make online exhibits to be published on Arago, the Postal Museum’s website. With Ms. Richardson’s third grade class, we decided to amp up the summer spirit by making an exhibit focused on traveling. We split into three groups, so Beth, Jennifer and I could each act as scribe as Alex compiled the exhibit. Each group had to come up with the following—a destination within the United States, a transportation method, a couple of activities, and some well-known individuals to meet.

Working with my Orlando group!

 

Jennifer’s group decided to go to Las Vegas, Nevada in a spaceship. My group chose to drive chopper motorcycles down to Orlando, Florida. Beth’s group used jetpacks to get to Los Angeles, California. Our groups then chose a number of activities for when they arrived at their destinations, including visiting Disney World, going to the beach, watching World Cup soccer, and even playing outside. The Las Vegas group met Bart Simpson and Jackie Robinson. The group in Orlando saw Mickey Mouse, Pluto and Superman. Finally, the Los Angeles group got to meet Mickey Mouse, Pocahontas and John Smith. After we had decided all of these details for our trips, we worked with Alex to choose stamps that depicted these places, people and things. Then we included text to describe our adventures. You can view the completed online exhibit here

Ultimately, the summer jitters at Pine Spring transformed into an enthusiasm for stamps. We got to take the kids outside of the classroom to experience the past by holding objects with signatures of famous individuals. We got to take them on trips across the United States by creating an exhibit. And we even got to take them away from their normal routine, inviting them into the philatelic world and hopefully igniting in them an interest in something they may never have considered before.

Students eagerly look at a philatelic object. 

On a basic level, I enjoyed our visit to Pine Spring because I got to scope out the scene and soak in the essence of a full day in the classroom. But more importantly, I marveled at the intelligence of the students we encountered and their ability to focus on a task, even when plagued by summer fever.

Exploring the Post with Pine Spring Elementary

As an intern for the Arago Web Team here at the Postal Museum, one very rarely gets a chance to venture out of the office. However, last Monday, I had an opportunity to do just that. Two of the other interns, Beth and Libby, and I went on a “field trip” of sorts to Pine Spring Elementary in Falls Church, VA, with my supervisor Alex Haimann, where we got to share our stamp and postal history knowledge with some local third, fourth, and fifth graders.

We set out from the museum early in the morning and were met by one of the 4^th grade teachers, Ms. Engelhart, who drove us to the school. It was the first time in a long while that any of us interns had been in an elementary school, and we’d forgotten how energetic the kids could be, especially this close to the end of the year! They were great, though, and once the presentations started, they settled right down. The morning presentations were really informative and focused a lot on getting the kids excited about everything the Postal Museum has to offer. After Libby, Beth, and I introduced ourselves and talked a little bit about what we each do at the museum, Alex took over and explained how the Arago Website works and picked several different exhibits to showcase the wide variety of things that can be found on the website. Almost all of the kids have been following the World Cup, so they got really excited about the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa exhibit that was just posted (see it here).

These students examine a set of covers signed by Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton.

One of the coolest parts of the presentation, though, was when Alex started pulling out some objects to pass around the class. Part of the reason I love museums so much is that they put people in contact with the real stuff – it’s not just a picture in a book or on a screen, it’s something real right there in front of you. It was so awesome to see these kids share that same excitement as they got to examine one of the first U.S. postage stamps or an early 20^th century ad for breakfast cereal. By far the biggest crowd pleasers, however, were the 200-year-old letter covers signed by Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. (In one of the classes, the kids actually erupted into a chorus of “Ooos” and “Ahhs,” when Alex explained what they were!)

Members of my team and I work together to put our list of historical events in chronological order.

We switched gears in the afternoon, and instead of giving presentations, we worked with the kids to create some fun exhibits using the collections on Arago. The last group of the day was particularly interesting, because we were dealing with some mixed age groups. Ms. Hendrick’s third grade class joined Mr. Rogers's fifth grade class, and together we had to come up with an exhibit that would be interesting for everyone and would draw on both the third graders’ and fifth graders’ skill sets. In the end, we decided to create our very own “Quick Guide to American History,” focusing on important events in American history as portrayed on postage stamps. We split the kids into three groups, and Libby, Beth, and I each took a team and got to work. Each group created their own list – which included everything from the First Census in 1790 to Obama’s Inauguration – and worked at putting the events in chronological order (with the help of their intern-captains, of course). Then we got the groups back together and voted to create one final list of the “Ten Most Important Events in American History” and picked stamps to correspond. The final exhibit can be seen here.

Beth leans forward to hear a suggestion from one of the members of her group.

All in all, it was a really fun day getting out of the office and seeing how the work we do on the Web Team can be put to use in the classroom!

Deinstalling The Delivering Hope Exhibit

Last week the Preservation Department, Collections and Exhibits Department came together and lent a helping hand to help de-install the temporary exhibit "Delivering Hope: FDR & Stamps of the Great Depression". We removed over 150 artifacts from 35 wall frames, 4 floor cases and 6 rarities panels including two portrait paintings.

As a Preservation Technician, preparing, maintaining, installing and removing exhibited objects is my main responsibility at the National Postal Museum. And I love it! My job is a nice mix of hard labor (lifting frames that weigh about 35 pounds is a good work out) and analytical thinking as encapsulating and mounting paper-based artifacts for exhibit requires a lot of organization, documentation and lots of measuring and re-measuring (cut once, measure twice!).

So I am fortunate that at the Postal Museum I have the opportunity to collaborate with staff from other departments as well as interns to facilitate the process. This summer we have a fabulous intern, Irene Dominguez Jimenez, who will return to Barcelona, Spain to complete a fellowship with the Department of Conservation and Exhibition a the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB). She has been essential in making the de-installation a success.

Before we started removing objects from the gallery, Irene and I used a light meter to take final light level readings of the objects on display. Irene then entered this information into our museum's database, The Museum System (TMS) so we can track the accumulated light exposure of the objects. Light levels are also taken during the installation and coordinated with the Exhibits Department to make sure all lights illumining the objects are not too high or too low, finding a delicate balance. We then do a follow-up about halfway through the exhibit.

After this was complete, we began removing the objects from the exhibit. Over several days the wall frames, rarities panels and objects in the floor cases were taken out of the gallery and loaded onto carts and brought back in the Preservation Office.


The frames and panels were opened and the objects were removed, checked off our inventory list and put into their folders and boxes for further processing by the Collections Department. We then reassembled the frames and panels and returned them to the Exhibits Shop to be reused for the next exhibit, “Collecting History: 125 Years of the National Philatelic Collection” opening in August.

The portrait paintings were taken off of the walls and put on to A-frame carts, wheeled back into storage and re-hung. Soon they will be crated and sent off-site for permanent storage.
  
 
  
This week Irene has begun encapsulating the objects for the upcoming exhibit in August and we hope that you are able to visit the museum and see the objects for yourself!

Pens & the Post: After the Ink Dries

The ink stains on my hands may have finally faded, but fond memories of the Pens & the Post festival remain. Presented in partnership with the Pen Collectors of America, the program focused on fountain pens, handwriting, and postal history.

A cursive handwriting workshop presented by Fahrney’s Pens had kids in deep concentration as they traced perfect loops under the guidance of Elizabeth Bunn. Some adults also dropped by the workshop to pick up some practice and improve their penmanship.

On a class trip from Hawaii, two students showed off the preferred writing instrument of the day--the fountain pen!

At the "Mail & Morale" activity table, Jim Rouse and Tadas Osmolskis gave visitors a fascinating glimpse into World War II history. Sharing the story of Victory Mail and the fountain pens that were popular during the 1940s, Jim and Tadas inspired visitors to write letters to modern day military members using historic pens and V-Mail stationery.  

 

Letters written during Pens & the Post will be included in care packages sent to the US military by Operation Gratitude. In the first letter above, the author shares a bit of V-Mail history. In the second, a young letter writer points out how tricky it can be to write with a fountain pen for the first time and then discusses favorite foods. (Click each letter to view larger.) You can also print your own V-Mail form (PDF). 

At the "Creative Cards" activity, Sophia, Ericka, Gracie Breuer inspired visitors to create gorgeous cards with the help of Cindy Reppert. The techniques Sophia uses in her card making were imitated and adapted by hundreds of visitors. Her "color wheel" sign above helped visitors pick vivid colors for their cards without clashing. The Breuer family traveled all the way from Iowa to participate in Pens & the Post and Grandma even made t-shirts with the festival logo. William Breuer is a young pen turner and enjoyed sharing the story of how pens are made with museum visitors. 

"Think Ink" was a fun activity presented by John Bosley, author of Vintage Inks. Adults and kids alike enjoyed sampling a rainbow of vintage inks, ranging from Waterman’s Aztec Brown (1928) to Sheaffer’s Skrip Peacock Blue (1950). 

 

"Think Ink" caught the eye of visitors and bloggers alike. Ashley E. Bowen not only shared her Pens & the Post experience on her blog but also shared these two photos of vintage ink bottles with us. Other blogs shared their perspective on the festival, including Felt & Wire and Orphaned Postcard Project.

Deborah Basel of the Washington Calligraphers Guild wrote visitors' names in the beautiful Copperplate style while visitors watched in awe. "Wow, handwriting is an art!" one teen was overheard saying. 

At Fahrney's Pen Petting Zoo, visitors got to take fancy, modern fountain pens for a spin. Kids even got to assemble their own colorful pens.

Handwriting specialist Nan Barchowsky welcomed visitors to experience the satisfaction of perfect pen-to-paper match at the "Paper Trail" activity. With different types of papers (glossy, smooth, and “grabby”) provided by Mohawk Fine Papers, visitors tried writing on each one and compared the experience. Nan also wrote and distributed a concise and fascinating history of paper that had many visitors murmuring, “Wow, I never knew…” 

Pens & the Post included many other wonderful elements, from Pens for Kids workshops to a talk on the fascinating history of the Parker Pen Company by Geoffrey Parker, great grandson of the company's founder. Both of these portions of the program can be viewed on the museum's YouTube channel.

The Postal Museum and the Pen Collectors of America want to thank everyone who made this unique festival possible as well as everyone who attended. To find out about how the festival was born, read this post on the magical moment when a museum volunteer put World War II era pens in museum visitors' hands.

The Culture of Collecting: My First Trip to NAPEX

As a new intern in the Education Department here at the National Postal Museum, I’ve been receiving a fantastic education of my own. The other interns and I took a brief break from our projects to attend the National Philatelic Exhibitions (NAPEX) stamp show with Alex Haimann, a collections specialist here. NAPEX is one of the largest stamp shows in the United States, and features auctions, exhibits, and over seventy dealers offering a stunning array of stamps and covers (postmarked envelopes).

Collectors browse through a variety of offerings at NAPEX

I had never been to a stamp show before, and I had little idea what to expect from NAPEX. The scale of the event and the vast array of items available for purchase were overwhelming to the uninitiated. I had assumed that collectors would attend NAPEX with aims more general than specific and either root through the offerings until something—anything—caught their fancy or simply buy in bulk and try to expand their compilations. As my fellow interns and I cautiously poked around the first few tables at the exhibit, though, we immediately received the question, “what do you collect?”

And so I quickly learned my first lesson: collectors are not merely focused upon accumulating new pieces for their collection; rather, they aim to fulfill some specific criterion with the objects they purchase. With so much to choose from at NAPEX, it was obvious why collectors specialize and why my definition of collecting needed some refinement. Everybody I spoke to was searching for something specific: stamps depicting works of impressionist art, baseball players, or patriotic images; covers postmarked with their birthdays or anniversaries or on Christmas; objects from Belgium, Japan, or Washington, D.C. I even spoke to one man who collects stamps and covers with giraffes on them, and has managed to amass a sizable collection!

Philatelists don’t just collect stamps and envelopes because they’re pretty; they collect because the objects they find have a particular meaning to them, whether that is reminding them of a certain date or fueling a passion. Through their collections, the NAPEX attendees attach meaning to the mail the same way the National Postal Museum does. Their collections are expressions of self-identity as well as ways to feel connected to far-flung places or times past through objects.

With that in mind, I continued browsing the wares waiting for something to strike me with a sense of meaning. I’m a big history nerd, so I was more drawn to covers than stamps—they provided more information and the very real human connection of “somebody wrote this!” I noticed a corner booth specializing in United States covers, and began browsing through.

Among the variety of covers--both beautiful and dingy--I discovered the one I had to take home.

Buried among piles of envelopes—some faded and dingy, some practically pieces of decorative art—I found an envelope postmarked in June 1860, sent from New Haven, Connecticut to Boston, Massachusetts. This envelope was cool even beyond the factor of it being really, really old. I go to school in New Haven and have visited that same post office building countless times, so seeing the postmark from home really helped history come to life. I found myself reflecting upon New Haven in the nineteenth century, the Civil War, and my relatives in modern Boston, and suddenly realized that the envelope had made me think about the broad arc of national history and connected me to situations I would never actually be able to experience.

Eight dollars later, I had myself a collector’s item and a much more complete understanding of what the point of a collection is in the first place.