# 4710 - 2012 First-Class Forever Stamp - Earthscapes

Issue Date: October 1, 2012
City: Washington, DC

Quantity: 2,670,000

Printed By: Banknote Corporation of America, Sennett Security Products

Printing Method: Offset

Perforations: Die Cut 10 ¾

Color: multicolored

America’s landscape is as diverse as its people. From the salty waters and teeming cities of its coasts to the barren deserts and lush farmlands of the middle states, the United States is filled with a variety of colors and shapes that are rarely seen in other parts of the world. 

 

Ordinary objects take on unfamiliar forms when viewed from a different perspective. In 2012, the U.S. Postal Service issued the Earthscapes stamps, which offered a fresh look at scenes from nature, agriculture, and cities around the nation.

 

Jim Wark is passionate about flying and photography. He enjoys piloting his plane looking for “pictures that the other guy doesn’t have.” His distinctive approach produced five of the images used on these stamps. Some are natural wonders, while others are man-made features.

 

Several other artists captured representations of America’s wildlife and industry, using planes, helicopters, and gliders to get a bird’s-eye view.

 

Satellites orbiting the earth are constantly recording what life looks like from far above the clouds. The pictures of glaciers, volcanic craters, and center-pivot irrigation used on these stamps were taken from hundreds of miles above the earth.

 

Howard Paine, art director on the Earthscapes project, said he wanted images that were “lively in variety, but must also complement each other.” His goal was achieved with bold colors and eye-catching patterns, showing the country in a new way.