“Everything Here Strikes Me as Very Odd”: Louisa May Alcott’s Civil War Letter
The 30-year-old author, not yet famous for Little Women, volunteered at the Union Hotel Hospital in Washington, D.C., tending to soldiers wounded in the…
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The Z Grill: America’s Rarest Stamp and the Mystery of Its Tiny Diamonds
In 1868, the U.S. Post Office tried to stop people from reusing stamps by pressing tiny diamond-shaped ridges into them, a process called “grilling.” The…
A Royal Romance: King Henry VIII’s Love Letter to Anne Boleyn
In the early 1520s, King Henry VIII wrote a string of heartfelt letters to Anne Boleyn, a lady-in-waiting at the English court. These letters offer a rare,…
“Your good Sistar and Cousin”: Elizabeth I’s Letter to Mary, Queen of Scots (21 December 1568)
In the winter of 1568, Europe’s eyes were fixed on a drama between two queens: Elizabeth I of England and her cousin, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots.
Treskilling Yellow: The One That Made History
The Treskilling Yellow remains not only a philatelic holy grail but also a symbol of the unpredictable beauty of human error.From its pallet swap to attic…
Designing Penny: The Racing Pigeon with a Flair for “tea”
Every community has that one friend who seems to know everything before anyone else and in Pippin’s Park Buddies, that role belongs to Penny.
“Too Late to Say Goodbye”: How Samuel Morse’s Loss Sparked a Revolution in Communication
How a letter too late to say goodbye became the birth of faster communication.
“Fly to the Bosom of Your God”: Alexander Hamilton’s Farewell Letters
On the eve of July 11, 1804, Alexander Hamilton prepared to meet Vice President Aaron Burr in a duel that would end his life. Knowing he might not return,…
Designing Maverick & Goose – Pippin’s Park Buddies Take Flight
When we set out to design Pippin’s Park Buddies, we knew each character needed to carry their own charm, quirks, and history. Some are grounded, some are…
Between Meadows and Mortality: John Keats writes to Fanny Brawne
On August 17, 1819, John Keats wrote to Fanny Brawne from the quiet English town of Winchester. By this time, Keats was immersed in both the beauty of the…
Designing Kosmo & Morph for Pippin’s Park Buddies
Every good park has its legends: the quiet figures you only catch glimpses of and the cosmic dreamers who make you wonder if the universe is listening back.…
From Islands to Icons: The Story of the Hawaiian Missionary Stamps
In 1851, the Kingdom of Hawaii issued its very first postage stamps. Today remembered as the Hawaiian Missionaries, they are printed on fragile blue pelure…