Women on US stamps
The history of women on US stamps begins in 1893, when Queen Isabella became the first woman on a US stamp.[1] Queen Isabella helped support Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage, and 1893 marked the end of a year-long celebration of the 400th anniversary of that voyage.[1][2] The first US stamp honoring an American woman honored Martha Washington, and it was issued in 1902.[3][4] In 1907, Pocahontas became the first Native American woman (and the first Native American) to be honored on a US stamp.[5] In 1978, Harriet Tubman became the first African-American woman to be honored on a US stamp.[6] In 2001, Frida Kahlo became the first Hispanic woman to be honored on a US stamp, though she was Mexican not American.[7][8]


Groups of women have also been honored on US stamps, for example Gold Star Mothers (1948) and "Women In Our Armed Services" (1952).[9][10]
There are also generic, unnamed women who appear on US stamps, such as a woman marching with men for the National Recovery Act (1933).[11]
US stamps have also depicted female goddesses and allegories, such as personifications of liberty.[11]
List of women on US stamps
This list can be expanded with women stamps from here
| Women | Year | Notable for |
|---|---|---|
| Isabella I of Castile | 1893 | Her patronage of Christopher Columbus made his trips to the New World possible. |
| Martha Washington | 1902 | First First Lady of the United States. |
| Pocahontas | 1907 | The Powhatan princess who saved the life of Captain John Smith. |
| Molly Pitcher | 1928 | Mary Hayes McCauley earned the name Molly Pitcher by carrying water to the men in the battle of Monmouth in 1778. |
| Susan B. Anthony | 1936, 1955 | Feminist who spent more than 50 years fighting for women's rights. |
| Virginia Dare | 1937 | First European child born on American soil, in 1587. |
| Louisa May Alcott | 1940 | American author famous for her books Little Women and Little Men. |
| Frances Willard | 1940 | Educator, reformer, lecturer, and women's suffrage supporter. |
| Jane Addams | 1940 | Founder of Hull House in Chicago, a social welfare center. |
| Clara Barton | 1948 | Founded the American Red Cross. |
| Juliette Gordon Low | 1948 | Founded the Girl Scouts of the USA. |
| Moina Michael | 1948 | Initiated the Veterans of Foreign Wars fundraising drive, selling red poppies in 1915. |
| Betsy Ross | 1952 | America's most famous flagmaker. |
| Sacagawea | 1954 | Shoshone guide who led the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804. |
| Amelia Earhart | 1963 | First woman to fly solo, nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. |
| Eleanor Roosevelt | 1963, 1984, 1998 | American diplomat, writer, social reformer, and First Lady to Franklin D. Roosevelt. |
| Mary Cassatt | 1966, 1988 | American painter best known for her works of mothers and children. |
| Lucy Stone | 1968 | Nineteenth century abolitionist and women's rights leader. |
| Grandma Moses | 1969 | Anna Mary Robertson Moses took up painting at the age of 76. She continued to paint until her death at age 101. |
| Emily Dickinson | 1971 | American poet who wrote more than 1,700 poems. |
| Willa Cather | 1973 | Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist. |
| Elizabeth Blackwell | 1973 | First woman physician in the U.S. |
| Sybil Ludington | 1975 | Sixteen-year-old Revolutionary War hero. |
| Clara Maass | 1976 | Twenty-five-year-old U.S. Army nurse who advanced medical science when she volunteered to be bitten by a mosquito carrying yellow fever. |
| Harriet Tubman | 1978 | Leader of the Underground Railroad, which brought slaves to freedom. |
| Emily Bissell | 1980 | Leader in the fight against tuberculosis who introduced Christmas seals in the United States. |
| Helen Keller, Anne Sullivan | 1980 | Famous student who overcame tremendous handicaps and her extraordinary teacher. |
| Dolley Madison | 1980 | First Lady who saved White House treasures during the capture of the capital by the British in 1814. |
| Frances Perkins | 1980 | First woman member of the presidential Cabinet (Secretary of Labor) appointed by F.D. Roosevelt. |
| Edith Wharton | 1980 | Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist known for her novels Ethan Frome and The Age of Innocence. |
| Rachel Carson | 1981 | The publication of her book Silent Spring in 1961 touched off a major controversy over the effects of pesticide. |
| Edna St. Vincent Millay | 1981 | American poet whose work was first published when she was just 14 years old. |
| Babe Didrikson Zaharias | 1981 | One of the greatest athletes of the twentieth century. She excelled in track, golf, baseball, and basketball. |
| Mary Walker | 1982 | Devoted herself to the care and treatment of the sick and wounded during the Civil War. |
| Dorothea Dix | 1983 | Nineteenth-century crusader for the poor and mentally handicapped. |
| Pearl S. Buck | 1983 | Author of more than 100 books, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for The Good Earth. |
| Lillian Moller Gilbreth | 1984 | Engineering pioneer who analyzed how tasks are done, hoping to increase the efficiency of workers. |
| Abigail Adams | 1985 | First Lady to John Adams, she influenced American politics through her letters to her husband. |
| Mary McLeod Bethune | 1985 | Educator and social activist who founded the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls, currently known as Bethune-Cookman College. |
| Belva Ann Lockwood | 1986 | First woman candidate for president. |
| Margaret Mitchell | 1986 | Pulitzer Prize-winning author best known for Gone with the Wind. |
| Sojourner Truth | 1986 | Born Isabella Baumfree, she was the first black woman to speak publicly against slavery. |
| Julia Ward Howe | 1987 | Composer of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". |
| Mary Lyon | 1987 | Education pioneer who founded Mount Holyoke College. |
| Evelyn Nesbit | 1989 | American chorus girl, artists' model, actress and controversial historical figure. |
| Helene Madison | 1990 | A gold medalist in the 1932 Olympic Games in swimming. |
| Marianne Moore | 1990 | Poet who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1951 for her Collected Poems. |
| Ida B. Wells | 1990 | Civil rights activist who cofounded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. |
| Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman | 1990 | Olympic gold medalist credited with doing more to build American and international women's tennis than any other player. |
| Fanny Brice | 1991 | Singer and comedian who created the "Baby Snooks" radio character. |
| Harriet Quimby | 1991 | First American woman pilot to fly the English Channel. |
| Dorothy Parker | 1992 | Poet and short story writer. |
| Patsy Cline | 1993 | Popular American country singer. |
| Sara Carter Maybelle Carter Carter Family | 1993 | Pioneers of American country music. |
| Grace Kelly | 1993 | American film actress. |
| Dinah Washington | 1993 | "Queen of the Blues". |
| Clara Bow, ZaSu Pitts, Theda Bara | 1994 | Silent film actresses. |
| Nellie Cashman | 1994 | The "Angel of Tombstone", an anti-violence advocate who raised orphans and campaigned against public hanging. |
| Ethel Waters, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Mildred Bailey, Ethel Merman | 1994 | Famous American singers. |
| Annie Oakley | 1994 | American sharpshooter. |
| Virginia Apgar | 1994 | Doctor who developed a newborn assessment method. |
| Ruth Benedict | 1995 | American anthropologist. |
| Mary Boykin Chesnut, Phoebe Pember | 1995 | Heroic Confederate women. |
| Bessie Coleman | 1995 | First woman to earn an international pilot's license. |
| Alice Hamilton | 1995 | Pioneer in industrial medicine. |
| Marilyn Monroe | 1995 | American film actor. |
| Alice Paul | 1995 | Founder of National Women's Party and author of the Equal Rights Amendment. |
| Jacqueline Cochran | 1996 | Pioneer pilot who had more than 200 aviation records, firsts, and awards. She was the first woman to break the sound barrier. |
| Georgia O'Keeffe | 1996 | Abstract American painter. Her most famous and popular works are of huge flowers. |
| Dorothy Fields | 1997 | Popular songwriter of the 1920s and 1930s. She wrote the words for "On the Sunny Side of the Street". |
| Lily Pons | 1997 | Opera singers. |
| Rosa Ponselle | ||
| Women in the military | 1997 | This stamp honored the nearly 2 million women have served and are serving in the U.S. armed forces. |
| Mary Breckinridge | 1998 | Founder of the Frontier Nursing Service. |
| Mahalia Jackson, Roberta Martin, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Clara Ward | 1998 | Gospel singers. |
| Margaret Mead | 1998 | Famous anthropologist who studied child rearing, personality, and culture, mainly in the South Pacific. |
| Madam C. J. Walker | 1998 | African American who became one of the wealthiest women in the 1910s by developing and selling hair care products. |
| Ayn Rand | 1999 | Author of the novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. |
| Patricia Roberts Harris | 2000 | Lawyer and political adviser; in 1977 she became the first African American woman named to a presidential cabinet. |
| Louise Nevelson | 2000 | Twentieth-century American sculptor who worked with wood, metals, and found objects. |
| Hattie Wyatt Caraway | 2001 | First woman elected to U.S. Senate. |
| Rose O'Neill | 2001 | American illustrator. |
| Lucille Ball | 2001 | Famed American comedian and actress. |
| Frida Kahlo | 2001 | Influential Mexican artist. |
| Nellie Bly, Marguerite Higgins, Ethel L. Payne, Ida Tarbell | 2002 | Journalists |
| Zora Neale Hurston | 2003 | African American novelist in the Harlem Renaissance |
| Audrey Hepburn | 2003 | Film actress and goodwill ambassador for UNICEF |
| Mary Cassatt | 2003 | American artist known for her portraits of motherhood |
| Agnes de Mille , Martha Graham | 2004 | Choreographers |
| Wilma Rudolph | 2004 | Track and field star |
| Marian Anderson | 2005 | Opera singer who was the first African-American to sing at the Metropolitan Opera |
| Greta Garbo | 2005 | Actress of the silver screen |
| Hattie McDaniel | 2006 | Singer and actress who was the first African-American to win an Oscar |
| Frances E. Willis | 2006 | Diplomat |
| Judy Garland | 2006 | Actress and singer, star of The Wizard of Oz |
| Ella Fitzgerald | 2007 | Jazz singer |
| Gerty Cori | 2008 | Biochemist |
| Maria Goeppert Mayer | 2008 | Nuclear physicist |
| Bette Davis | 2008 | Actress |
| Martha Gellhorn | 2008 | Journalist who covered the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and the Vietnam War |
| Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings | 2008 | Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Yearling |
| Mary Church Terrell | 2009 | Civil rights and women's rights activist |
| Mary White Ovington | 2009 | Civil rights activist |
| Daisy Bates | 2009 | Civil rights activist |
| Fannie Lou Hamer | 2009 | Civil rights activist |
| Ella Baker | 2009 | Civil rights activist |
| Ruby Hurley | 2009 | Civil rights activist |
| Mary Lasker | 2009 | Health activist and philanthropist |
| Anna J. Cooper | 2009 | African-American scholar |
| Lucille Ball | 2009 | Actress |
| Vivian Vance | 2009 | Actress |
| Dinah Shore | 2009 | Entertainer |
| Fran Allison | 2009 | Actress |
| Gracie Allen | 2009 | Entertainer |
| Harriet Nelson | 2009 | Actress |
| Katharine Hepburn | 2010 | Entertainer |
| Kate Smith | 2010 | Singer |
| Mother Teresa | 2010 | Religious figure |
| Julia de Burgos | 2010 | Poet |
| Carmen Miranda | 2011 | Latin music legend |
| Selena | 2011 | Latin music legend |
| Celia Cruz | 2011 | Latin music legend |
| Oveta Culp Hobby | 2011 | First secretary of the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare, first commanding officer of the Women's Army Corps |
| Helen Hayes | 2011 | Actor |
| Maria Goeppert Mayer | 2011 | Scientist |
| Greta von Nessen | 2011 | Industrial designer |
| Barbara Jordan | 2011 | American politician and a leader of the Civil Rights Movement |
| Elizabeth Bishop | 2012 | Poet |
| Gwendolyn Brooks | 2012 | Poet |
| Denise Levertov | 2012 | Poet |
| Sylvia Plath | 2012 | Poet |
| Édith Piaf | 2012 | Singer |
| Isadora Duncan | 2012 | Choreographer |
| Katherine Dunham | 2012 | Choreographer |
| Lady Bird Johnson | 2012 | First Lady |
| Rosa Parks | 2013 | Civil rights activist |
| Georgia O'Keeffe | 2013 | Artist |
| Lydia Mendoza | 2013 | Latin music legend |
| Althea Gibson | 2013 | Tennis player |
| Shirley Chisholm | 2014 | Politician - first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Congress |
| Janis Joplin | 2014 | Singer and songwriter |
| Julia Child | 2014 | Chef, author, television personality |
| Joyce Chen | 2014 | Chef, author, television personality |
| Edna Lewis | 2014 | Chef, author |
| Maya Angelou | 2015 | Poet, author and civil rights activist |
| Flannery O'Connor | 2015 | Writer |
| Ingrid Bergman | 2015 | Actress |
| Sarah Vaughan | 2016 | Singer |
| Shirley Temple | 2016 | Actress, later businesswoman and diplomat |
| Dorothy Height | 2017 | Civil rights and women's rights activist |
| Lena Horne | 2018 | Singer, dancer, actress and civil rights activist |
| Sally Ride | 2018 | Astronaut, engineer, physicist |
| Chien-Shiung Wu | 2021 | Nuclear physicist |
References
- "Leaving Their Stamp on History".
- Edwards, John. Ferdinand and Isabella. Pearson Education Limited, 2005, p. 119
- "Martha Washington".
- "Women Who Left Their Stamp On U.S. Philatelic History". Mode.
- "Postage Stamps - Postal Facts".
- United States Postal Service. "Publication 354 - African Americans on Stamps".
- Klein, Adam G. (2005). Frida Kahlo. Edina, Minn.: ABDO Pub. Co. ISBN 9781596797314. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
- "'Love' stamp a highlight of 2001". LJWorld.com.
- "Leaving Their Stamp on History".
- "Leaving Their Stamp on History".
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-26. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - "Women Who Left Their Stamps on History".
- https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/women-stamp-subjects.pdf