U.S. #2958
1995 55¢ Cherub, Sheet Stamp
Love Series
· One of six Love stamps issued in 1995 – the most Love stamps issued in a single year up to that point
· The cherub on the stamp was controversial, with some citing such child angels were usually associated with death, not love.
· Fourth US Love stamp issued to meet the two-ounce rate
Stamp Category: Commemorative/Special Stamp
Series: Love Series
Value: 55¢, rate for two-ounce mail
First Day of Issue: May 12, 1995
First Day City: Lakeville, Pennsylvania
Quantity Issued: 300,000,000
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Lithographed and Engraved
Format: Panes of 50 in sheets of 300
Perforations: 11.2
Why the stamp was issued: This stamp was issued at the two-ounce rate for use on wedding invitations, which are often heavier because they contain reply cards and envelopes.
About the stamp design: For the 1995 Love stamp designs, the USPS, was inspired by a postcard picturing two child angels. The angels were taken from Raphael’s massive masterpiece, the 9-foot x 6 ½-foot Sistine Madonna. The USPS thought they would be perfect for Love stamps. The 55¢ stamp features the right-hand angel in a horizontal format.
However, C. Douglas Lewis, a curator at the National Gallery of Art and vice chairman of the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee, warned that child angels, also known as putti, were associated with death, not love. The painting is believed to have been commissioned by Pope Julius II, who died before it was completed. Some art historians believe Raphael’s painting had been used at the funeral of Pope Julius II, and that the child angels are resting on top of his coffin.
Eventually, the USPS decided that removing the cherubs from the original painting would let them stand on their own, and were referred to as “cupids” in press materials. The stamps were issued as planned, but media coverage helped stir the controversy. One mother reportedly called to complain that the she had used the Love stamps on her daughter’s wedding invitations and that the “death angel stamps” had jinxed the event.
The debate continued amongst the public. Some agreed that picturing the cherubs on their own put them in a new context, while others still questioned their use on Love stamps. In spite of the controversy, millions of the stamps were sold and the designs remained in use until 1997.
Special design details: This stamp is one of two with the same design. While this stamp came from a sheet, the other (US #2960) came from a booklet.
First Day City: This stamp, along with three other Love stamps, were issued at the Champagne Palace nightclub at the Caesars Cove Haven Resort in Lakeville, Pennsylvania. Located in the Pocono Mountains, the area is often known as “honeymoon country.”
Unusual fact about this stamp: It was one of seven Love Cherub stamps issued in 1995 and 1996:
US #2948 – 1995 non-denominated first-class rate stamp from sheet
US #2949 – 1995 non-denominated first-class rate stamp from booklet
US #2957 – 1995 32¢ stamp from sheet
US #2958 – 1995 55¢ two-ounce rate stamp from sheet
US #2959 – 1995 32¢ stamp from booklet
US #2960 – 1995 55¢ two-ounce rate stamp from booklet
US #3030 – 1996 32¢ stamp from booklet
About the Love Series: Based on the popularity of Christmas stamps, the USPS issued its first Love stamp in 1973. It wasn’t intended to be the start of a series, and in fact, it wasn’t until 1982 that another Love stamp was issued. Love-themed stamps were issued sporadically over the next few years. The USPS stated that they weren’t intended just for Valentine’s Day mail, but also for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions. In 1987, the USPS officially declared it a series, and new Love stamps have been issued virtually every year since. Love stamps are classified as “special” stamps. They are on sale longer than commemoratives, are usually printed in greater quantities, and may go back to press to meet demand.
History the stamp represents: Like hearts and flowers, cupids have become a popular symbol of Valentine’s Day. The Roman god of love, Cupid was originally pictured in mythology as a handsome, athletic young man with wings, who carried a bow and arrows. It was believed that the wounds inflicted by his arrows would inspire passionate love in his victims.
By the mid-300s B.C., Cupid was portrayed as a chubby winged infant – a description which still holds true today. Although he was sometimes described as being cold-hearted and callous, Cupid was more often thought of as being well-intentioned with his worst fault being his mischievous matchmaking.