Sheet of Stamps of Whistler's Mother
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1934
This object is an uncut sheet of United States postage stamps printed in purple ink, dating to 1934. The sheet is arranged in multiple rows and columns of identical horizontal stamps, with marginal paper bordering the grid.
The design adapts James Abbott McNeill Whistler's famous portrait of his mother, showing the seated maternal figure facing toward the left. In this stamp composition, the painting's imagery has been altered and cropped, featuring a vase of flowers placed in the lower left corner alongside text areas. Each individual stamp measures 2.2 by 3.6 cm (7/8 by 1 7/16 in.), while the entire sheet measures 26.1 by 23 cm (10 5/16 by 9 1/16 in.).
The sheet was published in the United States by the United States Postal Service after Whistler's original artwork. It is preserved as a print under the museum's collection.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is said to have selected Whistler’s portrait for this U.S. postage stamp, which was issued “In Memory and in Honor of the Mothers of America.” The adaptation's alterations, including cropping and the addition of the vase of flowers, generated controversy. Alfred Barr, then the director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, was central to the dispute, having organized the 1933–34 American tour of Whistler’s painting and feeling an obligation to defend the original artwork.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Uncut sheet of stamps in purple ink
- Dimensions
- Each stamp: 2.2 × 3.6 cm (7/8 × 1 7/16 in.); Sheet: 26.1 × 23 cm (10 5/16 × 9 1/16 in.)
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- After James Abbott McNeill Whistler (American, 1834-1903), published by United States Postal Service (American, established 1775)
- Place recorded
- United States
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Art Institute of Chicago collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Sheet of Stamps of Whistler's Mother
- Museum object number
- R5561/2
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.