This Art Craft First Day Cover bears a block of four of the 5¢ Eleanor Roosevelt commemorative stamp, postmarked Washington, DC on the official first day of issue, October 11, 1963. The cachet features a striking black-and-white portrait of the former First Lady beside a lit candle, with the inscription “In Memoriam Eleanor Roosevelt 1884-1962.”
Eleanor Roosevelt’s stamp was issued less than a year after her death, honoring her unparalleled legacy as a diplomat, humanitarian, and chair of the United Nations commission that drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The design reflects the nation’s desire to recognize her global impact during the early years of the civil-rights era.
A notable detail is the Adlai Stevenson quotation printed beneath the portrait: “She would rather light a candle than curse the darkness, and her glow has warmed the world.” The cover also carries the distinctive Art Craft copyright emblem at lower left.
The typed address to Mrs. Edward D. Bender in Oak Park, Illinois, adds a Midwestern connection; Oak Park is renowned as the birthplace of Ernest Hemingway and the longtime home of Frank Lloyd Wright.
A clean, well-centered example that makes an excellent addition to collections focused on First Ladies, human-rights themes, or Art Craft cachets.
