4 United States stamps - MNH - plate block 33361

1972 - #1446 – 8 cents – Sidney Lanier 

Signed by the artist designer William A. Smith "for Mrs. Marguerite Nyce," an acting postmaster.

Artist William A. Smith produced a portfolio covering a vast range of subject matter in various media including oils, watercolors, prints, and photography. He also possessed many different titles throughout his life, including artist, teacher, traveler, and historian. Smith established himself as an illustrator for magazines and newspapers in the 1930s.

Introduced to Bucks County by his friends George Nakashima and Pearl Buck (for whom he illustrated five children's book), Smith moved to Pineville, PA in 1956. He converted a three story barn into his home and maintained his studio there. Over the years, Smith was close friends with a variety of artists, but he shared a special relationship with the poet Carl Sandburg, who often visited the Smith home. Smith's striking portrait of Sandburg is now in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery and another Smith portrait of the poet was immortalized on a United States Postage stamp. Smith created ten award-winning stamps including a portrait of Sidney Lanier and a four-stamp series on the Boston Tea Party.

Smith helped pioneer the use of fine art for commercial purposes and was the first fine artist to design a postage stamp for the United States in 1972. He was commissioned to complete many works, including the 1,000-foot murals for Maryland House, portraits of Carl Sandberg and George Nakashima, and stamp designs of American Revolutionary history. Smith's work is based on careful observation of people and places. His art not only exhibits a concern for naturalism and draftsmanship, but a psychological and emotional depth. His work is in many major museums, including the National Portrait Gallery, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Library of Congress.

MNYCE