About This Stamp
In 1973, the U.S. Postal Service issued the first stamp in its popular Love series. The 2008 design, by illustrator Paul Zwolak, features an oversized heart being transported by its owner to the unseen beloved. When asked about his inspiration for the design, Zwolak said that he wanted to convey that a heart filled with love could be a gift to one’s beloved, rather than the usual flowers or candy.
Obviously, the stamp’s love-struck figure has not been daunted by a familiar and oft-used quotation, “A hundred hearts would be too few / To carry all my love for you.” In fact, Zwolak’s design features a centrally placed bright red heart that is so full of love that it has lifted its owner from the ground, perhaps hoping to speed up delivery of its special affection.
Art Director & Designer
Ethel Kessler
Ethel Kessler is an award-winning designer and art director who has worked with corporations, museums, public and private institutions, professional service organizations, and now, the United States Postal Service.
After earning a B.F.A. in visual communications from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Kessler worked as a graphic designer and project manager for the exhibits division of the United States Information Agency. Her work was distributed internationally on subjects such as Immigration, Entrepreneurship, Renovation of American Cities, and the Bicentennial of 1976. She was also responsible for exhibits in Morocco, Botswana, and El Salvador.
In 1981, she established Kessler Design, Inc., for which she is creative director and designer. Clients have included the Clinton Government reorganization, the Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic Television, the National Park Service, and the American Institute of Architects.
She has been an art director for the U.S. Postal Service’s stamp development program for more than 25 years. As an art director for USPS, Kessler has been responsible for creating more than 500 stamp designs, including the Breast Cancer Research stamp illustrated by Whitney Sherman. Issued in 1998, the stamp is still on sale and has raised more $98 million for breast cancer research. Other Kessler projects include the popular and highly regarded Nature of America 120 stamp series, a collaboration with nationally acclaimed nature illustrator John Dawson, the 12-year Lunar New Year series with Kam Mak, the American Filmmaking: Behind the Scenes 10 stamps issued in 2003, a 2016 pane of stamps celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and the 2023 stamp honoring Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And many, many others.