Mendez v. Westminster

The Washington Post reports, "Of all the little pictures for sale at the postage stamp counter -- American flags, Purple Hearts, Dumbo the Elephant, the Incredible Hulk -- one of the newest ones is not so familiar. "

Two young people with tan skin study an open book, facing an orange sun. "Mendez v. Westminster 1947," says the stamp.

Rafael Lopez, the Mexican-born San Diego artist who designed the stamp is quoted in the piece by staff writer David Montgomery as saying, "I had never heard of the Mendez case..."

According to the Post, Lopez took inspiration from the great Mexican muralists Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco, and he set about condensing their monumentalism onto a postage stamp.

Montgomery writes, "He [Lopez] simplified the figures to resolute, representative types and told the story in part through color. From left to right, the palette moves from dark to light, as the two young readers bend like plants toward the orange sun."

To read the entire article, click here.