F3201

Library of Congress

Dome Interior

Collins Cover Announcement 

Library of Congress

This issue marks the 200th Anniversary of the Library of Congress, which was founded by Congress in 1800. The stamp design is from a photograph taken in the main reading room. It shows the ceiling dome and several of the arched windows in the room. Significantly, this part of the library is in the Thomas Jefferson Building.

Throughout his life, books were vital to Jefferson's education and well-being. In 1814, when the British burned the nation's capitol and the Library of Congress, Jefferson had acquired the largest personal collection of books in the United States. He offered to sell his entire library to Congress to replace the destroyed books, and, in 1815, the personal volumes of Thomas Jefferson became the new foundation of the Library of Congress.

My hand painted cachet shows Jefferson as he surveys some of his personal books before the transfer to Washington. His pet mockingbird perches on a shoulder, and a potted geranium attests to his strong botanic interest. He extolled the virtue of the broad range of the acquisitions for the Library of Congress. His direct quote was, "There is in fact no subject to which a member of Congress may not have occasion to refer."

Today's Library of Congress houses nearly 119 million items, including a Gutenberg Bible and The Bay Psalm Book, which is a 1640 volume and the first book printed in North America. This institution is sometimes referred to by two other names. The first is "The Nation's Library," and as such simultaneously serves as a legislative library and major research arm of Congress; the copyright agency of the United States; a center for scholarship and research open to the public; and the world's largest repository of maps and atlases. The second is "Jefferson's Library," and this name fondly recalls how important he was during the formative years of this great institution.

As he sat looking at his empty shelves while ten wagons transported his personal library down the mountain on the way to Washington, Thomas Jefferson wrote to John Adams, "I cannot live without books." His actions ensured that the young nation would not have to. Library of Congress - Item #F3201 - $12.25.