The 33-cent John and William Bartram commemorative stamp was issued on May 18, 1999, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The stamp was designed by Phil Jordan of Falls Church, Virginia, and is based on an illustration by William Bartram.
1999 marked the 300th anniversary of the birth of John Bartram, the American botanist who established the oldest existing botanical garden in America. John, with the help of his son William, introduced approximately 200 native American plants and propagated innumerable native and exotic plants. The stamp art is a reproduction of a detail of a hand-colored engraving by William Bartram.
145.375 million stamps in self-adhesive panes of twenty were printed by the Banknote Corporation of America, Inc., in the offset process, with microprinting "Botanists."
Reference:
Postal Bulletin (April 22, 1999).
