Z3805

Art of the American Indian

Seminole Doll

Cover Announcement 

It has always been my goal to produce high quality, individually hand painted cachets that collectors would enjoy owning. Every once in awhile, the resulting covers far surpass my own expectations, and I'm pleased to report that's the case with this set. The superb designs and the lovely watercolors combine to make this one of the finest sets I've ever offered.

As the illustrations show, my "entire" cachet designs take up the whole envelope and go far beyond just the Indian art aspects of the various tribes. The turtle was a traditional symbol for the northeastern clans. In my cachet, a warrior carries a shield with this sign. The stamp shows a carved ladle handle crafted in the mid-1800s, so I decided to also show a carved ladle in the cachet. The wild turkey and white-tailed deer were two important food sources and represent the link to nature and the land. Birch bark canoes provided transport over the many lakes and rivers in the region, and the longhouse was the typical type of lodging in most villages. The individual hand painting brings the scene to life.

Wood sculptures were a fundamental art form of the tribes of the Northwest. In 1805, the Lewis and Clark expedition was greeted by Indians in large canoes which had intricate animal totem carvings in the bows. The two beautiful sculptures on the stamp (a striking red against a rich blue background) were carved around 1890. The very colorful and eyecatching wooden ceremonial masks that make up the main focal points of my cachet illustration are absolutely perfect subjects for hand painting in vivid watercolors. The whale played an important part in the culture of the Northwest tribes, and two orcas swim through the ocean depths. This Collins First Day Cover will be a standout in your collection.

When most people think of the American Indian, scenes of the tribes of the plains are what they envision such as: ornate teepees in their familiar conical shapes; mounted braves racing across the prairie; decorative peace pipes and battle shields adorned with eagle feathers; and, great herds of buffalo roaming across the seemingly endless plains. I must tell you that this hand painted First Day Cover is one of the finest you'Il ever encounter. An intent warrior strings an arrow to his bow as his sturdy pony carries him to the hunt or battle. The authentic teepee is historically correct in its detail and is complemented by the handsome parfleche (storage container constructed from painted rawhide) shown on the new stamp. A ceremonial buffalo skull is positioned over a shield on which a bison has been painted by its owner. Finally, across the top of the cachet is a pipe which was the most important and sacred object to the Plains Indian. The most pnzed pipes were those with bowls made from a red stone called catlinite. Often the elaborate pipes were 4 or 5 feet long and were decorated with fur, horsehair wrappings, feathers, and quills. Through these distinctive red pipes blew the fumes of war and peace.

In addition to the three covers above, seven more spectacular Indian cachets will complete this set. A Seminole couple is shown in their authentic and extremely colorful native dress. The vivid clothing on the stamp's patchwork doll complements the beautiful Seminole clothing. Other tribes to be included are the Navajo, Pueblo, Mimbres People (circa A.D. 1000) as well as those from the Great Lakes and Califomia regions.

Art of the American Indian - Collins #s Z3801 - Z3810