New Stamps -- Scouting

On Tuesday, at the Boy Scout Jamboree in Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, the U.S. Postal Service will introduce the new 44-cent Scouting stamp.

To create this original design, illustrator Craig Frazier depicted the images of two different scouts in clothing and accessories that are often part of the outdoor scouting experience—hats, packs, boots, and binoculars. At first glance, one sees the large silhouette of a scout peering through binoculars. Within this figure is another scout perched atop a mountain taking in the vista. “I wanted a level of discovery to be portrayed in the stamp itself,” Frazier says.

He continues, “The small figure and landscape indicate very hard, directional light coming from low on the horizon — either early morning or late afternoon. The sky has that pale blue to indigo transition that happens only at those two times of day.”

It's a very nice stamp, but one thing bothers me about it. Seeing as I was a Girl Scout and my mom was a Girl Scout troop leader and now my daughter is a Girl Scout and I am a Girl Scout troop leader, I think the stamp should have been named "Boy Scouting," since it only features Boy Scouts. When I first heard about the stamp named "Scouting," I was excited, thinking it would have Girl Scouts on it, too. I think a stamp called "Scouting" should feature Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Camp Fire boys and girls, etc.