Caption
Jean Nicolet in Wisconsin (1934)
Number
0739
Prompt
The two groups in the left and right of the image move toward each other slowly and in a welcoming way.
Body
The 1934 Wisconsin Tercentenary stamp commemorates the 300th anniversary of Jean Nicolet's landing at Green Bay. Nicolet, a French explorer, was sent by Samuel de Champlain to find a rumored "people of the sea" and a potential water route to China. When he arrived in 1634, he was greeted by the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) people. The stamp's design, based on a painting by Edwin Willard Deming, dramatically depicts Nicolet in a colorful damask robe, firing pistols in a ceremonial greeting. This stamp highlights a key moment in the exploration of the Great Lakes region and the first significant European contact with the native peoples of Wisconsin.