Linda McCartney’s Still Life Photography to Appear on USPS Stamps

The United States Postal Service will honor photographer Linda McCartney with a 20-stamp collection drawn from her nature and still life work. Five images repeat across the set, including photographs of sunflowers and a teapot. USPS art director Derry Noyes designed the collection, and a first-day-of-issue ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 25 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The stamps go on sale at post offices nationwide the same day.

The selection points away from the rock photography that first made McCartney visible. Born Linda Eastman in 1941, she began shooting while attending the University of Arizona. A receptionist job at Town and Country led to an unwanted invitation and a Rolling Stones event, where her images impressed editors and launched a career. She went on to photograph Eric Clapton, the Doors, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, and Frank Zappa. In 1968, her portrait of Clapton made her the first woman photographer on the cover of Rolling Stone.

McCartney’s ties to music ran deeper than the darkroom. She married Paul McCartney in 1969, recorded the album Ram under their joint name in 1971, co-founded Wings, and played keyboards across seven studio albums. The stamp set includes a 1970 photo of maraschino cherries that appeared on Paul’s first solo album cover. She remained a prominent animal rights and vegetarianism advocate until her death from breast cancer in 1998.