1946 U.S. Christmas Portrait Seals, block of 16 seals, perf. 12 1/2. full gum, F, MNH. Issued 1946 by the National Tuberculosis Association. These Slogan Seals are from a Christmas Seals sheet with a printer's mark of either "S", "D", or "U". Fresh, never folded, shipped flat.
The 4 center seals are portraits of people who, more than any others, were responsible for the issuance and sale of the first seal in 1907.
(1) Seal #45 - Jacob Riis, who first called attention to the 1904 Danish Christmas Seal and urged that the U.S. adopt the idea to raise funds to fight TB; (2) Seal #46 - Miss Emily Bissel, who designed the seal; (3) Seal #55 - E.A. Van Valkenburg, editor of the Philadelphia North American, the newspaper which publicized the seal; (4) Seal #56 - Leigh Mitchell Hodges, the man whose interest was aroused by Miss Bissell, and who wrote the articles which aroused public support for the sale of the first seals.
The 1946 Portrait Seals are usually collected in a block of 16 with 12 normal seals and the portrait seals.
Christmas Seals are also known as TB Charity Seals, and are usually classified as Charity Seals, or Cinderella Stamps.
