With this new 2019 stamp, the Postal Service celebrates the American flag, the most recognizable symbol of our nation. Since its creation in the late 18th century, the Stars and Stripes has flown proudly through war and peace, stateside and abroad, and even on the surface of the moon.
The stamp features a U.S. flag, one of several on the flagpoles near the end of Chicago’s Navy Pier, waving in a May breeze.
According to the code of flag etiquette, the flag should be displayed from sunrise to sunset every day. Moreover, “when a patriotic effect is desired,” the flag can be flown through the night if properly lit.
Today the American flag waves proudly during the day outside government offices, schools, military bases, and local Post Office facilities. Fifty flags, one for each state, are on display around the base of the Washington Monument 24 hours a day, while two flags stand to watch day and night over the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The quiet dignity of Old Glory, seen at public and private sites around the country, calls to mind the values of liberty and justice represented by the nation’s flag.
Art director Antonio Alcal took the photograph that is featured on the stamp.
