Whistler's Mother, Mother's Day (1934)

Caption

Number

0737

Prompt

The mother in the center of the image gently rocks in the rocking chair. After a moment, she turns toward the camera and smiles. A soft, warm light could emanate from the area around the mother in the painting. The flowers on the curtain could subtly bloom.

Body

While the first day of issue for this 3-cent stamp was not in Grafton, its existence is a direct result of the efforts that began in that West Virginia town. Anna Jarvis, inspired by her mother Ann Reeves Jarvis's work, campaigned tirelessly for a day to honor mothers. The first officially recognized Mother's Day celebration took place at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton on May 10, 1908. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. The stamp, designed in part by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, features James McNeill Whistler's famous portrait of his mother. Ironically, Anna Jarvis was displeased with the commercialization of the holiday and the stamp, believing it detracted from the personal sentiment she had envisioned.