U.S. #1845
1982 2¢ Igor Stravinsky
Great Americans Series
Issue Date: November 18, 1982
City: New York, New York
Quantity: Unknown
Printed By: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Engraved
Perforations: 11 x 10 ½
Color: Brown, black
Composer Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was born on June 17, 1882 (or June 5 on the Julian Calendar), in Oranienbaum, Russia (present-day Lomonosov). He is considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century.
Raised in St. Petersburg, Igor’s father was Fyodor Stravinsky, a bass singer for the Mariinsky Theater. After attending a performance of Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty in 1890, Stravinsky was mesmerized. By the age of 14, he mastered Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto in G minor. Despite his clear talent and interest in music, Igor’s parents wanted him to become a lawyer, enrolling him in the law program at the University of St. Petersburg in 1901. In four years, he attended less than 50 classes. The school was closed in 1905 after the Bloody Sunday massacre. That same year, he began taking lessons with Rimsky-Korsakov, who quickly became like a second father to Stravinsky.
U.S. #1890
1981 18¢ Flag Over Field
Issue Date: April 24, 1981
City: Portland, ME
Printed By: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Engraved
Perforations: 11
Color: Multicolored
Wheat covers the fields of the Great Plains like a sea of gold – with waves of rippling yellow shafts.
In the mid-18th century, Mennonites emigrated from the steppes of Russia to the plains of the United States – bringing with them wheat seeds that would help feed a growing nation. The work was backbreaking but the land was fruitful. With the invention of horse-drawn plows, seeders, and threshers, the settlers were able to increase production. Soon, wheat became a cash crop and the Great Plains was transformed into America’s breadbasket.