Politics and Postage in the

Great Depression

Daniel A. PiazzaAssistant Curator of Philately

25 October 2009

Philatelist-in-Chief

Stamps as Propaganda

• Visual• Inexpensive• Widely disseminated• Can be targeted (to a point)• Reproduced in large quantities• Design, production, sale, and use

is controlled by the state• Cadre of collectors who will

propagate and amplify the message

Stamps as Propaganda

Stamps of the Great Depression

Stamps of the Great Depression

Stamps of the Great Depression

June 9, 2009 – June 6, 2010http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/DeliveringHope/