About This Stamp
This stamp in the Scenic American Landscapes series features a photograph of a sandstone formation on the east side of Zion National Park in Utah. Originally established in 1909 as Mukuntuwean National Monument, the park was expanded and designated a national park in 1919.
Now encompassing more than 229 square miles, Zion National Park is characterized by high plateaus and mesas with deep sandstone canyons carved into towering cliffs. Bare expanses of sandstone reveal artifacts and layers of rock that showcase the park's geological history. Diverse environments within the park include deserts, canyons, slickrock, hanging gardens, and plateaus. Zion Canyon, one of the park's largest and most visited sites rises more than 2,000 feet above the canyon floor. One hundred sixty miles of rivers, streams, and waterfalls support a remarkable diversity of plant and animal life, including more than 270 species of birds. One hundred twenty miles of hiking trails are available to the approximately 2.5 million people who visit the park annually.
Stamp Art Director, Stamp Designer
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.