The U.S. Postal Service honored author Sarah Orne Jewett with a new stamp on August 21 during a ceremony at the Sarah Orne Jewett Literary House in South Berwick, Maine. The release marks the 35th addition to the agency’s Literary Arts series.
Designed by Ethel Kessler with artwork by Mark Summers, the stamp features an original portrait of Jewett set against the Maine coast with a ray of sunshine. The visual elements evoke a scene from her best-known work, The Country of the Pointed Firs.
Jewett was born in 1849 and lived in South Berwick her entire life until her death in 1909. Considered a foundational figure in American literary regionalism, her fiction and essays focused on New England landscape, culture, and community values.
Throughout her career, Jewett published hundreds of short stories, poetry, essays, and approximately 18 novels, beginning her publishing efforts before age 20. Following a career-ending accident in 1902, she served as a mentor to younger authors, including Willa Cather.
The new issue is a nondenominated, 3-ounce rate stamp marked with the words “THREE OUNCE” to show its usage value. Sold in panes of 20 at Post Office locations, the stamp remains permanently valid for the rate printed on it.
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