Smithsonian National Postal Museum

08/11/2026

Happy 180th birthday, Smithsonian! The Smithsonian Institution—which is composed of 21 museums, 14 education and research centers, and the National Zoo—was established in its present form on August 10, 1846, by an Act of Congress signed by President James K. Polk. Designed by artist Oren Sherman, USPS issued their first "Happy birthday" postage stamps in 1987 in response to public demand.

© United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.

08/04/2026

"If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know."
—Louis Armstrong

Born August 4, 1901, Louis Armstrong’s profound influence as a jazz trumpeter, composer and singer carries on. This dynamic postage stamp depicting Armstrong delighted millions of stamp buyers in 1995. One year earlier, the Postal Service found that Armstrong was the most requested male subject, prompting the release of this stamp not only on a pane with nine other musicians in the “Jazz Musicians” issue, but also by itself.

© United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.

08/03/2026

Did you know the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776?

Although the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, it wasn’t until Aug. 2 that the 56 delegates of the Continental Congress signed the document.

The Portrait Gallery’s Declaration of Independence Diorama was commissioned to commemorate the initial adoption of the declaration which only had the signatures of John Hancock, president of the Congress, and Charles Thompson, its secretary. A few weeks later, the declaration was updated to include space for the other signers.

To commemorate the nation’s bicentennial in 1976, the United States Postal Service issued unique se-tenant stamps based on John Trumbull’s iconic painting. When appearing together on a souvenir sheet, the stamps portray a large portion of the painting. Individually, each stamp depicts a small portion.

🏛️: Declaration of Independence diorama by Bartlett Frost (Copy after: John Trumbull, 1969. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.
✉️: © United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.

07/31/2026

On July 30, 1993, the National Postal Museum opened its doors to the public. For 33 years, the museum has welcomed online and onsite visitors into the world of mail and stamp collecting, to experience how letters travel, who delivers them, and how the postal system has touched the lives of so many people across the globe. The museum is also home to the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery—the largest stamp gallery in the world.

The museum is located in the historic City Post Office Building, which was constructed in 1914 and served as the Washington, D.C., post office from 1914 through 1986. With 35,000 square feet devoted to exhibitions, the museum also has a 6,000 square foot research library, a stamp store, and a museum shop. Through the preservation and interpretation of our postal and philatelic collections, the National Postal Museum strives to educate, challenge, and inspire its audiences on the breadth of American experiences.

Thank you to everyone for their support and for visiting us – either online or in person at the museum! If you have not yet visited, please come see us!

Pictured here are the commemorative stamps issued by USPS on July 30, 1993, to celebrate the opening of the museum. The National Postal Museum gratefully acknowledges the continued support and commitment of the United States Postal Service.

© USPS. All rights reserved.

07/26/2026

Though the U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775, it wasn’t until 1847 that the first postage stamps were issued. Before this, the standard policy was for the addressee to pay upon receipt. George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were the first people to appear on a U.S. stamp, with denominations of 10 cents and 5 cents, respectively. ✉️

Since then, stamps have varied in size, shape, and subject throughout the years, commemorating important moments in U.S. history and recognizing individuals who have influenced our culture.

Swipe to see some of the historical figures featured in our collection that have inspired stamps throughout the years.

🖼️: Chief Joseph (detail) by Cyrenius Hall, June 1878. Oil on canvas. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.
🖋️: Edgar Allan Poe (detail) by Jacques Reich, 1919. Etching on paper. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Oswald D. Reich.
🖋️: Clara Barton (detail) by John Sartain, 1882. Engraving on paper. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
📸: Madam C. J. Walker (detail) by Addison N. Scurlock, c. 1914. Gelatin silver print. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of A'Lelia Bundles/ Walker Family. © Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

07/16/2026

Postal dogs and the Pony Express. Our first uniforms and stamps. Delivering by stagecoaches and hot air balloons. Over the last year, we've had the honor of sharing the moments that shaped USPS for 250 years 💌 To the next 250 and beyond!

07/13/2026

07/05/2026

Happy Independence Day! The American flag has had many inceptions and its design has evolved over time, yet the same symbolic meaning of unity and strength has been passed down through generations. The 2006 Flag and Statue of Liberty stamp shown here depicts the American Flag waving in the wind behind the Statue of Liberty. The design features a melding of two photographic images. The artists, Carl and Anne Purcell took two pictures, one of the Statue of Liberty from the boat that ferries visitors to the Liberty Island and one of the American flag flying on the island. The Purcells then superimposed the blue-green Statue of Liberty over the flying flag but made the stars and stripes visible behind the torch.

© United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.

07/02/2026

Happy National Postal Worker Day! About 640,000 individuals make up the postal service, including the United States Postal Inspection Service, the oldest law enforcement agency in the country.

The Postal Service processes and delivers approximately 361 million mail pieces each day. That's an average of 250,773 per minute and 4,180 mail pieces processed every second. Americans rely on this essential service not only for basic business and personal reasons, but for necessities like medication, groceries, and ballots. Postal employees on the front lines have kept supply chains moving and helped maintain lines of communication.

The “Postal Service Employees” issue was released in 1973; 10 different stamps depict various duties performed by postal employees. ©USPS; all rights reserved.

06/12/2026

🇺🇸 From Los Angeles to the world, buenos días! The World Cup has officially arrived in the U.S., and the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) and team Paraguay will play their first group stage match today.

Flashback to 1994, when the soccer competition came to the U.S. for the first time. That same year, the U.S. Postal Service recognized World Cup soccer with a souvenir sheet and three action-packed stamps. The souvenir sheet included the stamps and a map of the U.S., which had the nine cities where the games were played and the countries that participated were listed across the top and bottom.

The 29-cent first-class domestic stamp featured a player kicking the ball, the 40-cent international rate stamp depicted a player maneuvering to bring the ball under control, and the player on the 50-cent international air mail stamp demonstrated the art of heading the ball.

Players like Marcelo Balboa, Fernando Clavijo, Hugo Perez, Tab Ramos, and Claudio Reyna helped define an era of the USMNT. They competed at the highest levels of the game, from multiple World Cup appearances to milestone moments like Balboa becoming the first U.S. player to reach 100 caps. Reyna would later captain the team to a quarterfinal run in 2002. Their contributions are part of a broader history of players who have shaped the game across the country. Stay tuned for a post on team USA’s 2026 players!

—

🇺🇸 Desde Los Ángeles para el mundo, ¡buenos días! La Copa Mundial ha llegado oficialmente a Estados Unidos, y la Selección Masculina de EEUU (USMNT) y Paraguay jugarán hoy su primer partido de la fase de grupos.

Recordemos 1994, cuando la competición de fútbol llegó a EEUU por primera vez. Ese mismo año, el Servicio Postal de EEUU conmemoró el Mundial con una hoja de recuerdo y tres sellos llenos de acción. La hoja de recuerdo incluía los sellos y un mapa de EEUU que mostraba las nueve ciudades donde se jugaron los partidos y los países participantes estaban listados en la parte superior e inferior.

El sello nacional de primera clase de 29 centavos mostraba a un jugador pateando el balón, el sello internacional de 40 centavos mostraba a un jugador maniobrando para controlar el balón, y el jugador del sello de correo aéreo internacional de 50 centavos demostraba el arte de cabecear.

Jugadores como Marcelo Balboa, Fernando Clavijo, Hugo Pérez, Tab Ramos y Claudio Reyna ayudaron a definir una época de USMNT. Compitieron al más alto nivel, desde múltiples participaciones en Mundiales hasta hitos como el de Balboa, quien se convirtió en el primer jugador estadounidense en alcanzar los 100 partidos internacionales. Más tarde, Reyna lideró al equipo como capitán hasta los cuartos de final en 2002. Sus contribuciones forman parte de una historia más amplia de jugadores que han marcado el deporte en todo el país. ¡Estén atentos a la publicación sobre los jugadores de la selección masculina estadounidense de 2026!

© United States Postal Service (USPS). All rights reserved.