Veggies Forever

Not everyone loves vegetables, but who can resist the brilliant colors and bold patterns on these new Forever® stamps? The 10 close-up photographs of artfully styled vegetables — a red onion, Savoy cabbage, red cabbage, purple cauliflower, beech mushrooms, purple asparagus, an artichoke, a fairy tale eggplant, rhubarb, and a watermelon radish — make a delicious feast for the senses. You can almost hear the crunch and snap.

To be sure, not all of these gems are, botanically speaking, vegetables — which are defined as plant stems, leaves, or roots. The part of the plant that carries the seeds is the fruit, which comes from the flower, so eggplant falls into the fruit category. Mushrooms, on the other hand, are not a plant at all but rather a fungus. However, both eggplant and mushrooms are commonly regarded as vegetables and treated as such in the kitchen. Cauliflower and artichokes have flower parts, but most of what we eat is the vegetable parts, so they are classified as vegetables.

In the United States, many people grew up eating pale, mushy, often-overcooked vegetables. In the 1970s, a few trailblazing chefs began reintroducing Americans to the nutritional, taste, and aesthetic joys and benefits of well-prepared veggies. Over the following decades, as the focus on healthful eating spread, the availability of fresh produce also grew.

In addition, interest increased in food photography — evidence that, as research suggests, “we eat with our eyes.” Food as an artist’s subject is not new. By about 1840, culinary fare was being photographed the way it had been painted for centuries, in still-life format. Edward Weston’s iconic portrait of a pepper, shot in black and white in 1930, has made its way into the collections of some of the world’s top art museums. These days, striking photographs of food are all over social media and cooking websites.

Art director Ethel Kessler and photographer Renée Comet were the ideal collaborators on this project. Although they had previously worked together, mainly on flower stamps, it was not until Kessler happened upon Comet’s kitchen towels printed with shots of vegetables that she learned about this side of Comet’s work.

“Vegetables are one of my favorite subjects to shoot,” the photographer muses. “Their uniqueness, texture and beauty, all have their own personality.” Her favorite is the artichoke. “I can still vividly see in my mind’s eye the first time I saw one growing in a garden — 40 years ago.” Often inspired by a vegetable she finds at a farmers’ market, Comet eagerly takes it the studio, where “I shoot by myself and just get into the creative flow.”

Comet’s specialty is food photography, such as for cookbooks or magazines. “When I shoot a plate of food I am creating something you want to eat, an environment you want to be in, a story,” she explains. “If I am shooting commercial work, it is a collaboration with an art director, food stylist, and digital tech.” Of course, each situation is different, “but a lot of times when I am shooting vegetables it is for myself, so I am completely free to do whatever. With a raw vegetable I can be artier and more graphic.”

Kessler, too, has a fascination for vegetables, especially when chopping them. “I like to cook,” she says, “and I have fun in the kitchen, but I don’t get much done since I’m often pulling out my phone and shooting tight close-ups of what I’m cutting up.” 

She chose carefully among the thousands of veggie photos Comet had made over the years. When arranging them, “I looked at color balance and what was sitting next to what,” she says. “It made me so happy. I think it will make envelopes happy, too.” 

Comet is “beyond happy.” She explains: “What Ethel did with the collection of photos blew my mind. She cropped in a way that I never saw the photos, and I love the outcome.”

The Veggies Forever stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps. These Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.