Wednesday is the big day for the Postal Service: Owney, our beloved canine mascot whose exploits from the late 1800s continue to fascinate the public, will be honored on his own Forever stamp.
And what a lovely stamp it is. Artist Bill Bond depicts an earnest Owney in profile, looking forward to the journey ahead.
In the background are some of the many medals and tags that he collected along the way. Wherever he traveled, people attached them to his harness or collar. During Owney's near decade on the road, he collected 1,017 such tokens. The National Postal Museum has 370 detailed pictures of them on their website, which you can look at by clicking here.
Bond's approach to creating the stamp was to incorporate both Owney and his travelogue of memorabilia into the design. Beyond the Perf chronicles Bond's creative process and shares several other Owney stamp possibilities that Bond sketched along the way.
Bond's approach to creating the stamp was to incorporate both Owney and his travelogue of memorabilia into the design. Beyond the Perf chronicles Bond's creative process and shares several other Owney stamp possibilities that Bond sketched along the way.
Wedneday will be the beginning of a four-day celebration on Owney's home turf. He has resided at the National Postal Museum since 1912 and has the distinction of being the only domestic dog on display in the Smithsonian's vast taxidermy collection.
The First Day of Issuance Ceremony will be Wednesday at 11. To see the ceremony program, you can visit Beyond the Perf by clicking here.
Afterwards, there will be a series of free family events that will be available Wednesday through Saturday. To view the complete agenda, go to the National Postal Museum's announcement by clicking here.
Afterwards, there will be a series of free family events that will be available Wednesday through Saturday. To view the complete agenda, go to the National Postal Museum's announcement by clicking here.
It all sounds like loads of fun. Postmarks sure wishes that we could go!
Who was Owney?
For those of you who don't know the story of Owney, he started off as a terrier mix stray who wandered into the Albany, New York, Post Office back in 1888. The postal clerks named and fed him and let him sleep on some mailbags.
Because of this positive association, Owney developed a fondness for mailbags and followed them wherever they went, which was of course on the railroads. Thus began his legendary travels.
But if you suspect that the stories about Owney are myths or exaggerations, think again. Yes, this "mutt" became a phenomenom that captured the public's love and imagination, but his exploits were indeed real, as was the widespread love for him.
To have access to several newspaper articles about Owney from that time period, visit the American Philatelic Society's Owney resource page by clicking here.
In 1895, he was sent on a special trip around the world. Marked as a "registered dog package," Owney was placed on a steamer out of Tacoma, Washington, headed for Hong Kong and other exotic locales. The Los Angeles Times reported that he had visited Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East, and it was also reported that the emporer of Japan presented him with a medal bearing the Japanese coat of arms.
It is estimated that over the course of his lifetime, Owney traveled over 143,000 miles, and what was even more amazing was the fact that no vehicle upon which he rode was ever in an accident. At a time when being a railroad mail clerk was dangerous -- according to the National Postal Museum, between 1890 and 1900 more than 80 clerks were killed and over 2,000 injured in train wrecks -- Owney was known far and wide as a Postal lucky charm.
Owney was retired in 1897 and soon afterwards had to be put down when he developed doggy dementia, his personality suddenly changed, and he became aggressive towards people. His death was mourned, and Postal clerks raised the money for him to be immortalized taxidermically.
Over the many years, his stuffed state has suffered much decline, but if you'd like to see a fascinating article and series of pictures about Owney's restoration that was completed just in time for his big day on Wednesday, go to The Washington Post's "Owney the dog's extreme makeover."
Owney's tale is a dog's verson of the American Dream, how a poor mutt who came from nothing was able to charm and travel the world, the perfect ambassador for both the Postal Service and the value of animal adoption, and Postmarks can't wait to see him riding once again with the mail.
Because of this positive association, Owney developed a fondness for mailbags and followed them wherever they went, which was of course on the railroads. Thus began his legendary travels.
But if you suspect that the stories about Owney are myths or exaggerations, think again. Yes, this "mutt" became a phenomenom that captured the public's love and imagination, but his exploits were indeed real, as was the widespread love for him.
To have access to several newspaper articles about Owney from that time period, visit the American Philatelic Society's Owney resource page by clicking here.
In 1895, he was sent on a special trip around the world. Marked as a "registered dog package," Owney was placed on a steamer out of Tacoma, Washington, headed for Hong Kong and other exotic locales. The Los Angeles Times reported that he had visited Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East, and it was also reported that the emporer of Japan presented him with a medal bearing the Japanese coat of arms.
It is estimated that over the course of his lifetime, Owney traveled over 143,000 miles, and what was even more amazing was the fact that no vehicle upon which he rode was ever in an accident. At a time when being a railroad mail clerk was dangerous -- according to the National Postal Museum, between 1890 and 1900 more than 80 clerks were killed and over 2,000 injured in train wrecks -- Owney was known far and wide as a Postal lucky charm.
Owney was retired in 1897 and soon afterwards had to be put down when he developed doggy dementia, his personality suddenly changed, and he became aggressive towards people. His death was mourned, and Postal clerks raised the money for him to be immortalized taxidermically.
Over the many years, his stuffed state has suffered much decline, but if you'd like to see a fascinating article and series of pictures about Owney's restoration that was completed just in time for his big day on Wednesday, go to The Washington Post's "Owney the dog's extreme makeover."
Owney's tale is a dog's verson of the American Dream, how a poor mutt who came from nothing was able to charm and travel the world, the perfect ambassador for both the Postal Service and the value of animal adoption, and Postmarks can't wait to see him riding once again with the mail.
