US postage stamps

The 4 cent Chippendale Chair stamp was first issued by the US mail on 5 March 2004. It was the last stamp in the American Design series which also featured a Tiffany lamp, an American clock and an American toleware coffee pot. The American Chippendale Revival grew out of the Colonial Revival movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when interest in historic Colonial architecture stimulated a wider interest in old furniture of the Colonial period. As in Britain, the term ‘Chippendale' became shorthand for the rococo style in general, but it had an unmistakably American, or more specifically, a Philadelphia accent, because this was where the rococo style flourished most strongly during the Colonial period. It was a Philadelphia chair that was chosen as the model for the Chippnedale chair. The choice of a Chippendale chair as a classic of American design demonstrates the continuing strength of the Chippendale ‘brand' in American decorative arts and popular culture, even in the 21st century. The American Design series was designed by Derry Noyes and the watercolour artist was Lou Nolan. Nolan based his painting on a chair in the decorative arts collection in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the US Department of State, Washington D.C. The low denomination stamps, with face values ranging from one to ten cents, were intended to facilitate payment of additional postage rates for overweight mail and non-standard services.

This item is owned by The Chippendale Society. Explore the Society’s website and collections by clicking the external link below.