The Language of Stamps

Postcards travel not only through the images they carry, but also through the stamps affixed to them. Each stamp is a miniature work of art, a symbol of its country, and a trace of its journey across the world. In this section, the focus shifts to those tiny emblems of history and culture—the stamps and postmarks—that make every postcard feel alive with movement, time, and place.

back of a postcard with a message and multiple stamps

Postmarked on July 16, 2025, with the message “Dear Rohit Farmer, Nevada, where I live, is one of the only states where I don’t have any old postcards, only newer touristy ones. Anyway this is what passes for architecture in Las Vegas lol. Yours, JJ”

Photo of the Sahara hotel from Las Vegas.

Sahara hotel in Las Vegas Vegas

Stamps from left to right: (row 1) An 18-cent commemorative stamp honoring Frederic Remington, issued on October 9, 1981, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; a 6-cent “Winter Sunday in Norway, Maine” stamp, issued on November 3, 1969, in Christmas, Florida. (row 2) A 34-cent commemorative stamp honoring James Madison, issued on October 18, 2001, in New York; a 2-cent Cape Hatteras National Seashore stamp from the National Parks Centennial Issue, issued on April 5, 1972, in Hatteras, North Carolina; a 1-cent commemorative stamp recognizing the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth in 1809, issued on February 12, 1959, in Hodgenville, Kentucky.

Back of the postcard with a message from the sender.

Postmarked April 2025, with the message “Got this in a random etsy assortment forever ago and been sitting on it ever since! Glad it’s finally going to someone who’ll appreciate it! - Kiera u/tinygaynarcissist”

Front of the postcard from Montana.

Montana The Treasure State

Stamps from left to right: A 20-cent Flag Over Supreme Court stamp, issued on December 17, 1981, in Washington DC; a 20-cent commemorative stamp honoring Family Unit designed by a student as the result of a nationwide contest, issued on October 1, 1984, in Shaker Heights, Ohio; a 20-cent commemorative stamp honoring American author Horatio Alger, issued on April 30, 1982, in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.