Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse Stamp – First Day of Issue Ceremony

I was quite excited to learn that Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse has been chosen Editors’ Choice for Best Lighthouse in the May/June issue of the Yankee Magazine Travel Guide to New England.

Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse is a short drive up the coast from my house here in Southern New Hampshire. I have visited it on land often and have passed by it on the ferry when heading out to the Isles of Shoals many times. It is a well-known, and much loved icon on our NH coastline.

So, it was a proud day on Saturday, July 13, 2013, when the US Post Office commemorated a postage stamp with the image of the lighthouse as part of a 5-stamp series called “The Lighthouses of New England.” A formal ceremony was held under a tent, on the lawn in front of the lighthouse. A large poster of the painting of the lighthouse, that was used as the artwork for the postage stamp, was unveiled.

After the ceremony, I asked one of the organizers if he would be willing to move the poster of the stamp outside to the lawn, so I could photograph it with the real lighthouse in the background. Just as I was getting ready to take the photo, a sailboat passed by, making my image look even more like the stamp!

I am planning to enter this photo in the 2014 “My New England” Photo Contest, but thought you might like to see it now, since the lighthouse will be featured in your May/June issue.