About This Stamp
This stamp in the Scenic American Landscapes series features a photograph of Grand Teton National Park in northwestern Wyoming. Originally established in 1929 to protect part of the Teton Range and lakes near its base, the park was expanded in 1950 to include much of the adjacent Jackson Hole valley.
Now encompassing nearly 310,000 acres, Grand Teton National Park is characterized by the majesty of its rugged mountains that tower some 7,000 feet over glacial lakes and a valley, through which runs the Snake River.
Renowned for its climbing and hiking trails, the park receives most of its nearly 2.5 million recreational visitors a year in the warm summer months, many of whom marvel at the park's wildlife. Diverse habitats within the park create opportunities to view moose, elk, bison, pronghorn, black and grizzly bears, and hundreds of species of birds, including bald eagles, ospreys, and trumpeter swans, the largest waterfowl in North America.
Other popular park activities include boating, biking, horseback riding, and fishing, and in the serene winters, ice fishing, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.
Stamp Designer, Stamp Art Director
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.