Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education
  • Home
  • About Us
    • COVID-19 Response Policy
    • Statement on Systemic Racism
    • Leadership
    • Our Partners
    • Parking and Directions
    • Room Reservations
  • Education
    • Educational Resources
    • Teacher Institute
    • Internship Program
  • Research
    • Congressional Collections >
      • Robert C. Byrd Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Sr. Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Jr. Congressional Papers
      • Scot Falkner CAO Papers
    • Digital Collections
    • Oral History Project
    • Plan a Visit to the Archives
    • Collecting Policy
  • Latest News
    • Blog
  • Events
    • How Representative Is Our Democracy
    • Vanguard with Martha Jones
    • Armed Paramilitaries and the Threat to the First Amendment
    • Of By and For All People
    • Constitution Day
  • Support Us
    • Friends of the Byrd Center
    • Annual Report

Howard Koslow –Stamp Artist

2/9/2016

 
By Ray Smock

The Washington Post contained a fascinating obituary in its Feb. 3, 2016 edition, that of Howard Koslow a distinguished illustrator, painter and postage stamp artist who died at age 91. I had the pleasure of working with Mr. Koslow on commemorative postage stamps in honor of the bicentennial of the U. S. Congress in the late 1980s. He designed more than 60 stamps, including a very popular series on American lighthouses.


Picture
Ray Smock poses with large posters of the House and Senate commemorative stamps that were used in a joint session of Congress on March 2, 1989. The artist Howard Koslow signed the House poster at the end of the ceremony. The posters are part of the Robert C. Byrd Archives.
I had been a stamp collector from an early age and the chance to work with the U.S. Postal Service and such a marvelous artist as Howard Koslow on a stamp design was a dream-come- true. I was the Historian of the House of Representatives at the time, and, in conjunction with the Senate Curator and the Senate Historical Office, we planned for two stamps, one for the House and the other for the Senate.  The Capitol Dome has been used on numerous stamp designs over the years, representing Congress as a whole and being a classic symbol of representative democracy. We wanted to remind the public that Congress is composed of two distinct, co-equal bodies, each with its own rules and with certain responsibilities under the Constitution. 

​I had no trouble selecting the one object that I thought best represented the House of Representatives, although I had no idea how it would be rendered on a miniature postage stamp.  A marvelous sculpture, the Car of History, resides in the old House chamber, now Statuary Hall. It was placed there in 1819. It shows Clio, the Muse of History, riding in a chariot above the Earth, writing in a big ledger book the events of history below her.  In addition to being the oldest sculpture in the House, it symbolizes the fact that history is made in the House and Senate and that the congressmen and women are ultimately responsible for their deeds there.

​The Senate decided to select the American eagle carving that resides in the Old Senate Chamber, one of the most elegant renderings of the national symbol to be found anywhere.
Picture
The Car of History, a marble sculpture by Carlo Franzoni, was placed in the old House Chamber, now called Statuary Hall, in 1819. The clockworks, by Simon Willard, were installed in 1837. The gears are hand-carved wood. It still keeps time.
Picture
The origins of the Senate’s beautiful Eagle and Shield are not well known, although it has probably been in the old Senate Chamber since 1838. It is made of wood that has been gilded.
​It was up to Mr. Koslow to conceive these works of art in a way that would make them look good even on a tiny postage stamp, and his artistry pleased us all immensely.  The Postmaster General, Anthony M. Frank, unveiled these stamps in a special joint session commemorating the 200th anniversary of Congress on March 2, 1989. We also had posters printed with the stamp design that was distributed to members of the House and used for other ceremonial purposes including the first day of issue on April 4, 1989.
Picture
The House commemorative stamp postmarked on its first day of issue on April 4, 1989.
​After the unveiling of these stamps using the large poster of each, I asked Mr. Koslow if he would sign the poster for me.  He was happy to do so and the poster has been preserved as one of our many artifacts at the Byrd Center, where each item and each document in our collection has a story behind it. 

Comments are closed.
    Welcome to the Byrd Center Blog! We share content here including research from our archival collections, articles from our director, and information on upcoming events. 

    Categories

    All
    Director's Posts
    Intern Blogs
    Posts From The Archives

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    December 2011

    RSS Feed

Picture
213 North King Street
PO Box 5000
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, WV 25443
(304) 876 - 5648

Office Hours:
Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Our Mission:

The Byrd Center advances representative democracy by promoting a better understanding of the United States Congress and the Constitution through programs and research that engage citizens.
© 2020 Robert C. Byrd Center for
​Congressional History and Education
  • Home
  • About Us
    • COVID-19 Response Policy
    • Statement on Systemic Racism
    • Leadership
    • Our Partners
    • Parking and Directions
    • Room Reservations
  • Education
    • Educational Resources
    • Teacher Institute
    • Internship Program
  • Research
    • Congressional Collections >
      • Robert C. Byrd Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Sr. Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Jr. Congressional Papers
      • Scot Falkner CAO Papers
    • Digital Collections
    • Oral History Project
    • Plan a Visit to the Archives
    • Collecting Policy
  • Latest News
    • Blog
  • Events
    • How Representative Is Our Democracy
    • Vanguard with Martha Jones
    • Armed Paramilitaries and the Threat to the First Amendment
    • Of By and For All People
    • Constitution Day
  • Support Us
    • Friends of the Byrd Center
    • Annual Report