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Rodney Lawrence Hurst, Sr. Stamp Collection Rodney Lawrence Hurst, Sr. Papers
6-22-2010
Black Heritage Stamp Series: Oscar Micheaux
United States Postal Service. Stamp Division
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Recommended Citation Black Heritage Stamp Series: Oscar Micheaux. 2010. Rodney Lawrence Hurst, Sr. Papers. University of North Florida. Thomas G. Carpenter Library. Special Collections and Archives. UNF Digital Commons. https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/hurst_stamps/34
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Issue Date Engraver Oscar Micheaux June 22, 2010 Trident The 33rd stamp in the Black Heritage series honors pioneering film First Day City Colors maker Oscar Micheaux (1884-1951), who wrote, directed, produced, New York, NY Yellow, Magenta, Cyan, Black and distributed more than 40 movies during the first half of the 20th century. Artist Micheaux was active at a time when African-American filmmakers were Gary Kelley Image Area (w x h) rare, venues for their work were scarce, and support from the industry Cedar Falls, IA 1.42 X .84 in. did not exist-and when a unique African-American voice was bound to 36.07 x 21.34 mm Designer cause controversy. Derry Noyes Format Washington, DC Pane of 20 (1 design) From the start, Micheaux's films mocked corrupt preachers or depicted characters who gambled, drank alcohol, or used slang and vulgar Art Director Plate Numbers Derry Noyes "V" followed by four language. "I am too much imbued with the spirit of Booker T. Washington," single digits he explained in 1924, "to engraft false virtues upon ourselves, to make Typographer ourselves that which we are not. Nothing could be a greater blow to Derry Noyes Marginal Markings our own progress." By contrast, Micheaux ensured that his heroines Header: "BLACK Modeler HERITAGE," "33rd IN A were typically intelligent and strong and that his films promoted hard Avery Dennison, SERIES,"© 2009 USPS, work and education. In a 1947 letter distributed to theater managers, Security Printing plate numbers, price, he defended his portrayal of the African-American experience: "We Division (AVR/SPD) barcodes, plate position diagram, biographical want to see our lives dramatized on the screen as we are living it, the Manufacturing Process text, USPS logo same as other peoples, the world over." Gravure Forgotten after his death, Micheaux was rediscovered in the late 1960s Printer Avery Dennison (AVR) and 1970s by film historians. Although only 15 of his movies are known to have survived in whole or in part, his ingenuity and determination have made him a cinematic icon. In 1986, he was posthumously awarded a special Directors Guild of America award, and in 1995 the Producers Guild of America established the Oscar Micheaux Award to honor "an individual or individuals whose achievements in film and television have been accomplished despite difficult odds."
The stamp features a stylized portrait of Micheaux by Gary Kelley, who based the stamp art on one of the few surviving photographs of the filmmaker. The photograph, which appeared in his 1913 novel The Conquest, shows a young, determined filmmaker eager to discuss and promote his on-screen portrayal of the African-American experience.
Rm DAY OF ISSUE •JUN£ 22. 20IO • NEW YORK, NY 10!99
© 2010 United States Postal Service (1016) Rodney Lawrence Hurst Sr. Papers .!!!!J!!f UNITEDST/J.TES Thomas G Carpenter Library /JEili, POST/J.L SERVICE@ Special Collections AMERICAN COMMEMORATIVE PANELS
Oscar Micheaux
In 1919, Micheaux earned rave reviews in the Chicago press after he wrote, directed, and produced a big-screen adaptation of his 1917 novel The Homesteader, which combined a love story, a Western, and a dramatic tale of African-American life. During the 1920s, he made more than 20 movies about such con troversial subjects as mob violence, lynching, and racial identity. He also adapted novels, produced courtroom dramas, and dabbled in autobiography, and later he became the only producer of silent movies for African Americans to make the transition to producing sound pictures. This 33rd stamp in the Black Heritage series features artwork by Gary Kelley based on one of the few surviving photographs of Micheaux: a portrait from his 1913 novel The Conquest that shows a young, determined filmmaker eager to discuss and promote his on-screen portrayal of the African-American experience. As Micheaux himself explained in OSCAR MICHEAUX (1884-1951) was a man 1947: "We want to see our lives dramatized ahead of his time. Born to a farming family on the screen as we are living it, the same as in southwestern Illinois, he went on to write, other peoples, the world over." direct, produce, and distribute more than 40 movies during the first half of the 20th century-long before African-American film makers enjoyed industry support or wide spread venues for their work. Micheaux's films were often rooted in his own experiences. As a young man, he worked a variety of jobs, including a stint as a Pull man porter, before purchasing land in South Dakota and becoming a homesteader. In 1913, he turned his own experiences into The Conquest, the first of several novels. As he traveled the country selling his books, Micheaux showed an entrepreneurial spirit that foreshadowed his career as a filmmaker.
background and intaglio: Fotosearch Stock Photography; top and bottom left: Courtesy Margaret Herrick library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; top right: Courtesy of the State Archives of the South Dakota Historical Society; bottom right:© Bettmann /Corbis
Stamps printed by Avery Dennison (AVR) / No. 854 in a series/ June 22, 2010 / Printed inRodney U.S.A./© 2010 United Lawrence States Postal Service Hurst Sr. Papers .::!!J!!!I UNITEDST/lTES Thomas G Carpenter Library j!a POST/lL SERVICE@ Special Collections BLACK HERITAGE V 111 33rd IN A SERIES V 111
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PLATE ~Rodney UNITED STLlTES Lawrence Hurst Sr. Papers POSITION l!!iiiii POSTLlL SERVICE. I Thomas G Carpenter Library Special Collections MASTER OF CEREMONIES REMARKS VOZA RIVERS GEOFFREY FLETCHER Chairman, Harlem Arts Alliance Adjunct Faculty of Film, Columbia Executive Producer University School of the Arts New Heritage Theatre Group MELVIN VAN PEEBLES WELCOME Independent Filmmaker and Author CLAUDE M. STEELE MOVIE TRAILER PRESENTATION: Provost OSCAR'S COMEBACK (work-in-progress) Columbia University LISA COLLINS INTRODUCTION TO MUSICAL Director/Producer; Columbia GROUP IMPACT University School of the Arts JAMAL JOSEPH (MFA '98) Chair, Film Program MARK SCHWARTZBURT Columbia University School Co-Director/Producer of the Arts CLOSING REMARKS NATIONAL ANTHEM VOZA RIVERS LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING IMPACT REPERTORYTHEATRE HONORED GUESTS Harlem, New York PEARL BOWSER Filmmaker ("Midnight Ramble") OFFICIAL STAMP DEDICATION Author and Micheaux Scholar DELORES J. KILLETTE Vice President and Consumer JAINE GAINES Advocate Professor of Film, Columbia United States Postal Service University School of the Arts MUSICAL TRIBUTE JERRYWILSKE WYCLIFFE GORDON QUARTET Director, Oscar Micheaux Center Gregory, SD
Rodney Lawrence Hurst Sr. Papers Thomas G Carpenter Library Special Collections This 33rd stamp in the Black Heritage series honors Oscar Micheaux ( 1884-195 I). who wrote, directed, produced, and distributed more than 40 movies.An ambitious, larger-than-life figure, Micheaux thrived at a time when African-American filmmakers were rare, venues for their work were scarce, and support from the industry was virtually nonexistent.
Born to a farming family in Illinois, Micheaux spent his teenage years as a laborer before becoming a Pullman Porter and traveling the country by train. In 1904, he purchased land in South Dakota and became a homesteader, an experience he turned into The Conquest, the first of his several novels.
In 1918, Micheaux began writing, direct ing, and producing his first movie: a big-screen adaptation of his third novel, The Homesteader. Combining a love story, a Western, and a dramatic tale of African-American life, The Homesteader earned rave reviews, and Micheaux went on to make more than 20 movies during the 1920s, some of them controversial. During the 1930s, when Micheaux found himself competing with sound films and slick Hollywood movies for the attention of black audiences, he became the only producer of silent movies for African Americans to make the transition to producing sound pictures as well.
Forgotten after his death, Micheaux was later rediscovered by South Dakota historians and film historians; today he is a cinematic icon remembered for his portrayals of the African American experience.As he wrote in 1947, "We want to see our lives dramatized on the screen as we are living it, the same as other peoples, the world over."
The artwork on the Oscar Micheaux stamp keenly captures its subject's entrepreneurial spirit and independent vision.Artist Gary KelleyRodney based his stylized Lawrence depiction of HurstMicheaux onSr. one Papers of the few surviving photographs of the filmmaker, a portrait in his 1913 novel TheThomas Conquest. G Carpenter Library Special Collections • • - FIRST DAY OF ISSUE •JUNE22. 20IO • NlWYORK. NY IOl89 • • • • • • • • • First Day of Issue Ceremony • ~ • • UNITEDST/JTES • • l!iiil, POST/JL SERVICE., • • Rodney Lawrence Hurst Sr. Papers • Thomas G Carpenter Library Special Collections