A Historic Yellowstone Animal Will Soon Be Immortalized Through New U.S. Postage Stamps

The national mammal of the U.S., also an iconic resident of Yellowstone National Park, a.k.a. bison, will be honored on the upcoming U.S. postage stamp, according to ABC News. The new stamp will feature an image of a bison from Yellowstone National Park, captured by wildlife photographer Tom Murphy. The Yellowstone bison's image will be superimposed with a historic bison's image featured in a 1923 stamp. The stamp has been designed by Greg Breeding, the art director of postage stamp design. It has been named “American Bison” by the US Postal Service (USPS).

The species “Bison bison” has deep roots in American history, according to USPS. The lifestyle of the Native Great Plains’ ancient people was intertwined with these creatures. Tribes used the bison's hides for their clothes, and also made use of their tipis, horns, and bones. The arrival of settlers reduced the number of bison. They have now become “near threatened,” and places like Yellowstone National Park are trying to bring them back to their former glory.

The 1923 American Buffalo stamp was always a part of the new stamp's plan. The 1923 stamp was designed especially for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) by Clair Aubrey Huston. Louis Schofield engraved the vignette of this stamp, taking inspiration from Charles R. Knight’s buffalo drawing. The ornate frame, on the other hand, was engraved by BEP employees Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing. Breeding has incorporated an intaglio-printed adaptation of the 1923 stamp in the recent postage stamp.

For the contemporary photo, Breeding went through several submissions. He ultimately finalized Murphy’s picture. “Tom Murphy’s photo has the kind of reproducible detail that so many other photos lack,” Breeding shared. The art director claims that Murphy’s picture and the 1923 image share many similarities, “like a background of clean sky and pretty magnificent grass.” The bull bison in Murphy’s photo is part of the herd that resides in Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone National Park has the honor of being the only place in the US where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times. Currently, it has the largest wild buffalo herd in the country. In 2024, this herd contained around 5,400 bison bulls. Murphy calls them "amazing creatures" and lists them amongst the top ten species he likes to photograph in the facility. The young bull's perfect shot has been captured in Hayden Valley, a vast grassland in central Yellowstone. Murphy claims that the entire image has been converted to 'sepia' to give it a more historic look.

Breeding decided to allow the image to go beyond the stamp edges. He believes it makes the bison freer and more open. In this way, the animal appears to be shining in its natural element. “This also creates a better background for the vintage artwork,” Breeding added. The prairie grass runs continuously through every stamp across each row of the 16-stamp pane. It gives off the appearance of a rich field. The new stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp. The American Bison stamp is expected to be released in May 2026. 15 million stamps will be released. The number may increase if they become popular. “They’re going to be on every post office in the United States,” Murphy said. “I mean, that’s kind of overwhelming to think about.”

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