Edgar Allan Poe Bicentennial
Born Jan 19, 1809 - died Oct 7, 1849.
Edgar Allan Poe
On January 16, 2009 the United States Postal Service issued a "Poe Bicentennial" stamp to commemorate the American writer. Issued from the Library of Virginia in Richmond, VA, the stamp artwork portrait is by Michael Deas.
I attended the event which included lectures by Poe scholars and then the stamp issue which was mobbed politely by stamp collectors wanting the 'first day of issue' post marks, which is a valued commodity among Philatelic collectors of stamps.
After the official event ended, the Poe scholars signed autographs, and there were people dressed as Poe characters (these seemed to be folks from the Poe Museum in downtown Richmond). As it was held in Richmond (where Poe spent much of his life) it seemed like the appropriate city for the event commemorating him
Poe in Boston
Poe's relationship to his native city had been one of less that affection. As with many events commemorating Poe' bicentennial, maybe the mutual war of words through history is 'officially' coming to an end. This from the Boston.com online:
"Born in Boston 200 years ago, Poe long had been overlooked as a native son because of his rancorous relationship with the city and its writers. But after an aggressive campaign by a devoted band of Poe enthusiasts, city officials agreed to pay tribute to the "master of the macabre" by renaming the corner of Boylston and Charles streets, across from Boston Common.
"Together again, at last," exclaimed Paul Lewis, a Poe scholar at Boston College who led the charge to honor the 19th-century author.
At the dedication ceremony, under sunny skies that seemed ill-suited for a tribute to the famously morbid writer, Lewis said the square would "celebrate the city's connection to Poe." He urged those who might harbor bitterness over Poe's hostility toward the city he derided as a provincial "Frogpondium" to let bygones be bygones.
"To these unforgiving folk I say: 'Wow, you really, really know how to hold a grudge,' " he quipped."
Edgar Allan Poe Bicentennial in Richmond Virginia
On January 16, 2009 the United States Postal Service issued a "Poe Bicentennial" stamp to commemorate the American writer. Issued from the Library of Virginia in Richmond, VA, the stamp artwork portrait is by Michael Deas.
Photo of Library of Virginia Poe Event Jan 2009.
[Below: Poe portrait bust at the Poe Museum in Richmond VA]
[Below] Approximate portrait image of Edgar Allan Poe's mother, Elizabeth "Eliza" Arnold Hopkins Poe. Colored Ink Drawing.
[Below: Poe Museum in Richmond Virginia, Main Street. Image shows the 'english garden' in the rear of the Museum.]
[Below: One of the exhibit buildings at the Poe Museum in Richmond Virginia.]
[Below: Edgar Allen Poe Museum street-side entrance building. There are four buildings that are part of the museum complex. The street entrance building is the oldest standing structure in Richmond, Virginia. Though Poe never lived int he building, he is known to have visited it during his lifetime.]
Edgar Allan Poe Links
Michael Deas Poe Postal Service Stamp presentation image, 2009
Edmund Quinn Sculpture of Edgar Allan Poe at the Poe Museum in Richmond VA
Felix Vallatton drawing portrait of Poe and the Ultima Thule Image of Poe
Edgar Allan Poe Stamp issue 2009, featuring Michael Deas Poe portrait
The Edgar Allan Poe garden area at the Poe Museum, Richmond VA
Poe Museum complex in Richmond, VA
Elizabeth Arnold Poe, "Eliza" Poe, Edgar's mother, buried at St John's in Richmond VA
Artwork, Edgar Allan Poe drawing
Original Page Monday, January 19, 2009| Updated September 25, 2012
