About This Stamp
With this 12th stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series, the U.S. Postal Service honors Judy Garland, considered by many to be one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp using a portrait of Garland by Tim O'Brien, an artist living in Brooklyn, New York. O'Brien's portrait is based on a publicity photo for A Star Is Born, the 1954 film for which Garland received an Academy Award nomination for "best actress." A reproduction of Garland's signature appears at the bottom of the stamp. The photo on the selvage shows her in another signature role, as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.
Judy Garland™ & © 2006 Estate of Judy Garland Licensed by Global Icons, LLC. All Rights Reserved. THE WIZARD OF OZ and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © Turner Entertainment Co.
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.