15c Emily Bissell stamp

Emily Bissell (1861-1948) started the tradition of using Christmas Seals to help fight lung diseases. When Bissell, an active social worker in Wilmington, Delaware, was asked in 1907 to help raise funds for a small facility aiding tuberculosis patients, she began a campaign based on the Danish practice of adding charity stamps to holiday greeting cards. Her efforts were so successful that the campaign was taken nationwide the next year, and Christmas Seals have been used every year since then to raise awareness and funds.

Copyright United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.

Scott Catalogue USA: 1823
mint

Museum ID: 1999.2004.132