About This Stamp
A 16.7-cent stamp featuring a 1902 Charles Cretors' popcorn wagon was issued July 7, 1988, in Chicago, Illinois. The Popcorn Wagon stamp was 1988's third issue in the Transportation series, which recognized early modes of transportation. The 16.7-cent denomination represented the basic rate for bulk mail at that time.
The design, by Lou Nolan of McLean, Virginia, uses a profile of the Cretors Number Wagon, model 1902. A glass case at the right encloses Charles Cretors' now-familiar popcorn kettle, suspended above a mound of freshly popped product. Under the canopy, his toy "Rosty Tosty" clown dances above the cylindrical peanut roaster.
The Cretors Number 1 Popcorn Wagon was the best thing to happen to popcorn since the first ear of Indian corn caught fire. The wagon followed people wherever they went, producing the unmistakable, mouth-watering aroma of fresh, hot, buttered popcorn. For nearly 50 years, these vending vehicles roamed the streets of our country, introducing the great American public to this great American snack.
The Popcorn Wagon stamp was engraved through the intaglio process (B Press) by the Bureau of Engraving and Painting. The stamp was issued in coils of 500 and 3,000.
Stamp Artist
Lou Nolan
Longtime stamp artist Lou Nolan studied fine art at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, DC, his hometown, and graduated from New York's Parsons School of Design in 1952. After working as a book designer and illustrator in New York, he returned to Washington to begin a freelance career. Following a ten-year partnership at a graphic design firm, Nolan returned to freelancing. By the time he retired in 1995, he had created designs for NASA, the Smithsonian Institution, each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and many federal agencies. His work was honored by the Art Directors Club of New York and Print magazine. He won gold and silver medals from the Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington.
Nolan designed many stamp products for the U.S. Postal Service® and more than a dozen stamps, including the first five in the American Design series that began in 2002. Some of these stamps have been reprinted in recent years including the Chippendale Chair (2007, 2014), the American Clock (2008), and the Tiffany Lamp (2007, 2009).
Mr. Nolan died on October 24, 2008.