Commemorating General Kościuszko

An elegant Old Gold frame 28cm x 23cm and mounted in rich dark blue a commemorative three-stamp set honouring Tadeusz Kościuszko American Revolution heroes 1976 Bicentennial Series with reproduction of Tadeusz Kościuszko portrait by Julian Rys 1897

 

 

He is the purest son of liberty I have ever known.
Thomas Jefferson on Tadeusz Kościuszko

Issued: January 1, 1976
City: Pasadena, CA
Quantity: 73,151,667

Printed By: Bureau of Engraving and Printing

Printing Method: Photogravure
Perforation: 11

Color: Blue violet and multicolored

 

This three-stamp se-tenant shows a detail from the famous oil painting by Archibald M. Willard of a fife player and two drummers, leading American troops during the Revolutionary War. The original painting hangs in the Selectmen’s Room in Marblehead, Massachusetts.

 

The Bicentennial Series

The U.S. Bicentennial was a series of celebrations during the mid-1970s that commemorated the historic events leading to America’s independence from Great Britain. The official events began on April 1, 1975, when the American Freedom Train departed Delaware to begin a 21-month, 25,338-mile tour of the 48 contiguous states. For more than a year, a wave of patriotism swept the nation as elaborate firework displays lit up skies across the U.S., an international fleet of tall-mast sailing ships gathered in New York City and Boston, and Queen Elizabeth made a state visit. The celebration culminated on July 4, 1976, with the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

 

The U.S.P.S. issued 113 commemorative stamps over a six-year period in honor of the U.S. bicentennial, beginning with the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission Emblem stamp (U.S. #1432). As a group, the Bicentennial Series chronicles one of our nation’s most important chapters, and remembers the events and patriots who made the U.S. a world model for liberty.

 

 

The portrait Thaddeus Kościuszko, by Julian Rys, c. 1897.

 

In 1897, the Polish National Alliance donated this portrait of Kościuszko to the city of Philadelphia. Polish expatriate Julian Rys probably based this painting on an engraving, which had been based on Josef Grassi’s 1792 portrait of Kościuszko. In 1897 the Polish National Alliance donated Rys” portrait to the City of Philadelphia this portait hangs in the for the  „People of Independence” exhibit-portrait gallery.

WHO WAS TADEUSZ KOśCIUSZKO?

A military engineer from Poland, Kościuszko came to Philadelphia in August 1776 to offer his services in the fight against the British.

His defenses helped the Continental army win the critical Battle of Saratoga in New York, and he later worked on fortifications that secured key access to the Hudson River at West Point — now the site of the U.S. Military Academy. He also fought in the Carolinas.

After the war, Kościuszko returned to Poland and, in 1794, led a rebellion against Russian occupation. He became a hero to his countrymen despite Russia’s victory and his ensuing exile.

WHY IS THE MEMORIAL IN PHILADELPHIA?

Kościuszko returned to Philadelphia while in exile and received a warm welcome. From November 1797 to May 1798, he stayed at a boarding house that now serves as the national memorial.

While here, Kościuszko rarely left his bedroom because of a severe leg injury suffered during the fighting in Poland. But he kept busy playing chess, painting and entertaining a steady stream of dignitaries and visitors, including his longtime close friend Thomas Jefferson.

Kościuszko soon went back to Europe with the ultimate goal of helping Poland regain its independence. It didn’t happen in his lifetime, and he died in Switzerland in 1817.

 

You could win this wonderful, elegant commemoration of Tadeusz Kościuszko at 46 Bal Polski. All monies raised will be going directly to our chosen charities via Bal Polski CIC -this prize has been donated to 46 Bal Polski fundraising efforts.

If you would like to donated a prize to 46 Bal Polski please contact us chair@www.balpolski.org.uk. Thank you!