Eames, Stamps, and Sally Andersen-Bruce

O boy; I was lamenting the fact earlier this week that there was no photography-related peg for the new Eames stamps, which was a bummer, because I...

O boy; I was lamenting the fact earlier this week that there was no photography-related peg for the new Eames stamps, which was a bummer, because I’m a sucker for that lounge chair. But I was wrong! Apparently photographer Sally Andersen-Bruce was indeed involved in the production of the stamps, putting together both the structure of playing cards, and photographing the furniture.

This article explains it well; here are excerpts:

“Local resident and renowned stamp photographer Sally Andersen-Bruce
spent three weeks assembling vintage playing cards into skyscrapers,
cottages and pyramids to find the right image for one U.S. postage
stamp in a new 16-stamp commemorative series.

Her photographs are used on two other stamps in the series, which will
be released to the public Wednesday.

Artist Derry Noyes, who was commissioned to do the set by the U.S.
Postal Service, hired Andersen-Bruce to build a structure with a deck
of playing cards the Eames couple designed. They have illustrations of
animals, vegetables and minerals and abstract patterns on them.”

“In the past 20 years, Noyes and Andersen-Bruce have worked on nine
different stamp projects, including holiday ones that had
Andersen-Bruce bake more than a thousand cookies to find the right one
to photograph and to search the country over for the perfect Santa
Claus ornament.

Noyes said Andersen-Bruce’s final design for the new series needed to
show how the playing cards go together without losing the ‘richness’ of
their patterns and designs. It could be neither too simple nor too
complex.

She knew Andersen-Bruce would get it right.

‘She is very thorough, and she goes the extra mile,’ Noyes said. ‘She doesn’t just do one or two takes. She does 15 to 30 takes. Every angle and every variety you can possibly imagine. And then we winnow it down to what works best. If it doesn’t work, she’ll go back and do it again. She’s amazing that way.’ “

“After constructing the house of cards, Andersen-Bruce photographed it
and submitted the proofs to Noyes, who created the stamp design and
added the typography. Her other photos were of Eames furniture.

Andersen-Bruce said she is proud to again have her work immortalized by the U.S. Postal Service.”