This official First Day Cover features the 13¢ Montana state flag stamp issued February 23, 1976, in Washington, DC. The cachet depicts the bronze statue of Charles M. Russell (1864-1926) alongside the Montana flag, with text noting the state's admission to the Union in 1889 as the forty-first state.
Charles M. Russell, known as "The Cowboy Artist," spent decades in Montana recording the vanishing world of the Old West through paintings, sculptures, and illustrations. His work captured cowboys, Native Americans, wildlife, and frontier landscapes during a period of rapid change in the American West, making him one of the most important visual chroniclers of that era.
The cachet artwork highlights Russell's signature palette and brush, emphasizing his dual identity as both artist and working cowboy. The stamp itself was released during the U.S. Bicentennial Era (1776-1976), tying state heritage to the national celebration.
A clean, well-centered cover with a crisp Washington, DC first-day cancel, this piece appeals to collectors of state flags, Western art, or Bicentennial-era issues.
