2017-09-15 Fri

A Vermont stamp from the 2002 Greetings From America panes issued first stamps featuring living people. Showing living people on postage Stamps of US was not allowed during the 1800s. This rule was relaxed recently when it was decided that living people could be shown on stamps only if they are not being honoured. Finally, the rule was completely taken off.

Some members of Congress did not like the idea which is why no U.S. stamps are issued specifically and intentionally honouring living people. Even then, living people have been depicted on US stamps for more than 75 times.

The Vermont Greetings from America stamp features former Olympian Viki (Fleckenstein) Woodworth. She was the top female U.S. skier in 1977 and was a part of the 1980 Olympic team. The Olympian was randomly interviewed, by the education director of the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History. In the interview, she revealed that the photographer who clicked this photo sold it to two magazine companies as well as the postal department, without her consent. She is okay with the fact that the image is supposed to be generic and the stamp does not have any mention of her name.