Phillis Wheatley becomes 49th subject in USPS Black Heritage series

USPS dedicated the 49th stamp in its Black Heritage series to poet Phillis Wheatley on 29 January at Boston's historic Old South Meeting House. Wheatley, who lived from about 1753 to 1784, was the first author of African descent in the American colonies to publish a book. Her 1773 collection demonstrated command of hymns, elegies, philosophical writing and narrative poetry.

The stamp features a black-and-white ink portrait by artist Kerry James Marshall. Drawing from the only portrait made during Wheatley's lifetime, Marshall reimagined her looking directly at the viewer while working on the second book she was unable to publish. A copy of her published collection sits near her hand, while the paper before her refers to a preface for the intended second volume. Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp around Marshall's artwork.

Issued as a Forever stamp in panes of 20, the release connects literature, Black history, women writers, slavery and abolition. The first-day location strengthens its association with Boston, where Wheatley lived and wrote. For series collectors, it should be recorded as Black Heritage number 49 rather than merely as a standalone literary-personality issue.