Linn’s reader identifies 1937 Christmas card artist

U.S. Stamp Notes by John M. Hotchner

In the U.S. Stamp Notes column in the Jan. 10 issue of Linn’s Stamp News, I presented the 1937 Christmas card front shown here together with a close-up of the mostly unreadable signature of the artist.

The message inside the card reads, “Greetings of the Season and a Joyous New Year.” According to the back of the card, it was produced by “American Artists Group, NY.”

Because the name of the artist was not decipherable, I asked Linn’s readers if anyone could identify the artist.

Greig Best stepped up to the challenge. He said that “after an hour of intense internet searching and narrowing the subject,” he discovered that the artist was Benton Murdoch Spruance.

The picture is titled The Philatelists, but the name was altered for use on the Christmas card.

Best reported that lithographs of The Philatelists had been offered for sale online.

Connect with Linn’s Stamp News: 

    Sign up for our newsletter
    Like us on Facebook
    Follow us on Twitter