1948 3c Juliette Low

U.S. #974
1948 3¢ Juliette Gordon Low
Issue Date: October 29, 1948
City: Savannah, Georgia
Quantity: 63,834,000
Printed By: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Rotary Press
Perforations: 11 x 10½
Color: Blue green

U.S. #974 features Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Guides, which later became the Girl Scouts of America. Low is pictured along with the Girl Scouts emblem. 

U.S. Scott #974 was issued on October 29, 1948, to honor Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA. The 3-cent blue-green stamp was printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing using rotary press, perforated 11 x 10½, with a total print run of approximately 63,834,000. The design features a portrait of Low alongside the Girl Scout emblem, with the inscription "Founder of the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A."

Juliette Gordon Low was born on October 31, 1860, in Savannah, Georgia, into a prominent family. After meeting Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, she was inspired to bring the movement to America. In March 1912, she organized the first American Girl Guide troop in Savannah, registering 18 girls. By 1915 the organization had taken the name Girl Scouts, with Low serving as its first leader. She dedicated the rest of her life to the organization until her death from breast cancer in 1927.

Scott #974 was issued the year following the 35th anniversary of the founding of the Girl Scouts and remains a perennial favorite among collectors focused on women's history, youth organizations, and American commemoratives of the 1940s. Low's birthday, October 31, is still celebrated annually by the Girl Scouts as Founder's Day — a fitting connection to the date of this stamp's issuance just two days before that occasion.