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32c Aloha Shirt: Kilauea Volcano single

National Postal Museum

Object Details

Description
Nothing says “Hawai‘i” or conjures casual good times like the colorful Aloha shirt, which takes its name from the Hawaiian word often used as a blessing or greeting. The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the spirit of “Aloha” with five stamps, each depicting a different shirt.
Aloha shirts are made from boldly patterned fabric showing decorative images of Hawaiian life. Two of the five classic shirts depicted in the stamp art showcase surfers and their boards; one shows fossil fish, shells, and sea stars; another shows a tropical flower known as the bird of paradise; and one shows Kilauea, a volcano on the Big Island of Hawai‘i.
Some commentators have traced the “casual Friday” custom observed in America’s mainland offices to Hawai‘i, where Aloha shirts were first worn to work on Friday. The shirts, which have a straight lower hem and are worn hanging loosely over the trousers rather than tucked in, are now widely considered acceptable business attire in the 50th state, where the climate can make a suit and tie uncomfortable.
Art director Carl Herrman designed these stamps using photos by Ric Noyle.
The Aloha Shirts stamps are being issued in self-adhesive sheets of 20 and coils of 100. They are being sold at the postcard rate, 32 cents each, amounting to $6.40 per sheet, or $32.00 per coil.
Credit line
Copyright United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
2012
Object number
2012.2025.225
Type
Postage Stamps
Medium
paper; ink
Place
Hawaii
United States of America
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
Title
Scott Catalogue USA 4595
National Postal Museum
Topic
Asian-Pacific American Heritage
Contemporary (1990-present)
U.S. Stamps
Record ID
npm_2012.2025.225
Metadata Usage (text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm834f231db-da0d-4092-98e9-72c3058c9b8a

Related Content

  • Explore America: Hawai'i

Stamp with frontside of a green Hawaiian Shirt decorated with exploding volcanoes above “Aloha.”
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

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