About This Stamp
This stamp was issued February 1, 1990, to commemorate Ida B. Wells (1862–1931), an activist who dedicated her life to teaching others of the injustices facing women and African Americans. In 1884 Ida refused to move to the segregated car on a train and was forced off the car. Infuriated, she sued and won, but the case was overturned.
Ida began writing about her own experiences and those of others. She launched a crusade against lynching, Jim Crow laws, unequal education, and actively promoted suffrage for women. Although she received numerous threats for her views, Ida refused to stop. She helped form the National Association of Colored Women and campaigned for voting rights for African American women. She was also a founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Ida’s work spread awareness of discrimination and promoted equal opportunities for all.
Stamp Artist
Thomas Blackshear II
Thomas Blackshear II was born in Texas and grew up in Georgia. He pursued his interest in art — “Drawing was all I ever wanted to do,” he says — throughout high school. After graduating from the American Academy of Art in Chicago in 1977, he went to work for Hallmark Cards, where he met and served as an apprentice to illustrator Mark English. In 1980, Blackshear became head illustrator for Godbold/Richter Studios. He began his freelance career in 1982.
Known for his dramatic lighting and sensitivity to mood, Blackshear has produced illustrations for stamps, posters, collectors’ plates, magazines, greeting cards, calendars, books, and advertising. His clients have included Anheuser-Busch, Disney Pictures, Coca-Cola, Jim Henson Studios, Lee Jeans, George Lucas Studios, Milton Bradley, Seven-Up, and Universal Studios.
In 2006, Blackshear’s art was exhibited in Rome in a show sponsored by the Vatican. Known for his best-selling designs for figurines in the Thomas Blackshear’s Ebony Visions collection, he also created the artwork for the “Master Place” collection for DaySpring Cards.
Blackshear’s numerous stamp designs for the U.S. Postal Service® include five stamps in the Black Heritage series, most recently the Dorothy Height stamp (2017). In addition, his artwork has been featured on more than a dozen stamps commemorating Classic Films (1990), Jazz: Legends of American Music series (1995), Classic Movie Monsters (1997), James Baldwin (2004), Mother Teresa (2010), Rosa Parks (2013), and Chief Standing Bear (2023).
Twenty-eight of his depictions of famous Black Americans are featured in the 1992 Black Heritage series commemorative book entitled I Have A Dream. Blackshear has received many awards for his art including a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators. This freelance artist, teacher, and lecturer currently lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.