Ansel Adams Framed Stamps

2024 Ansel Adams(Imperforate)
• Honors influential 20th century American photographer Ansel Adams and marks the 40th anniversary of his death

Stamp Category: Commemorative
Value: 68¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: May 15, 2024
First Day City: Yosemite National Park, California
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Panes of 16
Tagging: Phosphor, Block Tag

History the stamps represent: Ansel Adams made landscape photography a respected fine art. He was as dedicated to capturing breathtaking scenes as he was to protecting them, earning praise and respect in both the art and conservation worlds.

Adams (1902-84) got his first camera during his first visit to Yosemite National Park in 1916. He joined the Sierra Club and began reading photography magazines, attending photo and art exhibits, and working part time for a photographer. He published his first photos in 1921 and started selling prints the following year. Adams had a natural eye for composition and tonal balance. He rejected pictorialism, the popular photographic style meant to emulate paintings. Instead, his photos had sharp focus, high contrast, and calculated exposures.

Soon, Adams was writing for photography journals and published his first book, Making a Photograph, in 1935. He offered photography workshops and trained military photographers during World War II. Adams rarely vacationed or took time off – usually working 18 or more hours a day for weeks at a time.

In addition to his creative eye, Adams was fascinated by photographic theory. Photographers and camera manufacturers frequently sought out his technical advice. In fact, over his career, he published 10 technical photography manuals, which are still considered some of the most important works on the topic.

While photography was Adams’s calling, preserving wild places was his passion. His photos and passionate words helped preserve precious wild places. For these efforts, Adams received many honors. In 2024, the USPS marked the 40th anniversary of his passing with 16 new Forever stamps picturing his photographs.