Front:
SHINGTON
OCT
CHRISTMAS
22
23
1987
20066
Moroni, National Gallery
Back:
CHRISTMAS 1987
First Day of Issue: October 23, 1987
First Issue Location: Washington, D.C.
For centuries, Christmas has offered hope in an ever
more complicated world. For, amid the hustle and hurry,
there is, even yet, an aura of mystery surrounding the
happenings of that very first Christmas. Through the
years, traditions have taken root, making the holiday a
time to be shared, a time to be honored, a time to be at
peace. This year, the U.S. Postal Service issued a Tradi-
tional Christmas Stamp honoring the true meaning of
Christmas. “A Gentleman in Adoration Before the
Madonna," is the title of the 16th century painting de-
picted in the 1987 stamp featured on this Maximum
Card. The design was adapted from a painting by
Giovanni Battista Moroni. It is the fourteenth masterpiece
from the National Gallery to be featured on a U.S.
Christmas postage stamp. Depicting a gentle Madonna
and the baby Jesus, Moroni's portrait captures the
simplicity of a true Christmas morning.
No. 87-98
©1987 The Maximum Card Collection
A Division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007
Original painting by Dennis Lyall.
