About This Stamp
The USPS issued the Cardinal definitive stamp on June 22, 1991.
Robert Giusti designed the stamp, which was printed in yellow, red, blue, and black by Stamp Venturers on a Champlain gravure press at J.W. Fergusson and Sons and perforated 11½ x 11 by KCS Industries on an L-perforator.
The Cardinal definitive was distributed in panes of 100, 10 stamps across and 10 down on the pane. Gravure printing cylinders with 400 subjects were used to print the stamp. A group of four numbers preceded by an 'S' are printed alongside the corner stamp. "©USPS 1991" and "USE CORRECT ZIP CODE ®" are printed in the selvage.
A member of the cardinal family of birds in North America, the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) draws its name from the red-robed Roman Catholic clerics known as "cardinals." Its crested head is said to resemble a bishop's mitre. The birds eat primarily seeds, fruits, wastes, small animals, and insects, and almost always live in pairs. If one is seen, its mate will usually be nearby.
Males are bright, deep red with black faces and yellow beaks. Females are lighter with mostly grayish-brown tones. Both possess prominent raised crests and strong beaks. Cardinals are approximately 8-9 inches long, weighing 1.48-1.69 ounces.
Abundant across the United States and Canada, cardinals' range extends west to the U.S.-Mexico border and south through Mexico to northern Guatemala and northern Belize. They have been introduced in Bermuda, Hawaii, and Southern California. Their natural habitats include woodlands, suburbs, gardens, swamps, and thickets.
In the U.S., the Northern Cardinal is the state bird of Kentucky (1926), Illinois (1929), Indiana (1933), Ohio (1933), North Carolina (1943), West Virginia (1949), and Virginia (1950). The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 protects this species, which also bans their sale as cage birds.
The cardinal was depicted on the four Wildlife Conservation stamps, one of the Capex '78 souvenir sheet stamps, and seven of the stamps on the State Birds and Flowers 50-stamp pane.
Stamp Art Director
Derry Noyes
For more than 40 years Derry Noyes has designed and provided art direction for close to 800 United States postage stamps and stamp products. She holds a bachelor of arts degree from Hampshire College and a master of fine arts degree from Yale University.
Noyes worked as a graphics designer at Beveridge and Associates, a Washington, D.C., firm, until 1979 when she established her own design firm, Derry Noyes Graphics. Her clients have included museums, corporations, foundations, and architectural and educational institutions. Her work has been honored by American Illustration, the Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington, Communication Arts, Critique magazine, Graphis, Creativity International, and the Society of Illustrators.
Before becoming an art director for the U.S. Postal Service, she served as a member of the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee from 1981 to 1983.
Noyes is a resident of Washington, D.C.
Stamp Artist
Robert Giusti
Born in Switzerland and raised in New York City, Robert Giusti studied painting, sculpture, and graphics at the Tyler School of Fine Arts in Philadelphia and Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. The son of a graphic designer, Giusti grew up in an environment where expression of creativity was highly encouraged — the perfect atmosphere for a budding artist.
Giusti returned to New York after finishing school, finding success in the art world there. He began to work in advertising and publishing before setting out as a freelance illustrator and designer, gaining acclaim for his unique style. Some of the clients he has worked with throughout his career include United Airlines, Columbia Records, The New York Times, ExxonMobil, NBC, and TIME.
Since childhood, Giusti has had a fascination with animals, enamored with their simple, honest beauty that lends itself to imaginative recreations. His portfolio of stamps created for the U.S. Postal Service features an array of colorful wildlife. His love for abstract paintings and concepts has remained steadfast through the years.
Currently, Giusti is illustrating covers for Der Spiegel magazine, as well as their children's publications. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, winning him silver and gold medals from the Society of Illustrators, among many others.
Giusti lives in Bridgewater, Connecticut, with his wife, Grace, and their two dogs, Lupo and Baci. Songbirds in Snow (2016), Songbirds (2014), and Tufted Puffins (2013) are his most recent projects for the Postal Service. Other designs by Giusti include Cardinal (1991), Wild Animals (1992), Tropical Birds (1998), and Red Fox (1999).