Colorado celebrates its 150th anniversary of statehood in 2026. It became the 38th state in the Union on Aug. 1, 1876.
DENVER — The work of Colorado’s most celebrated nature photographer will be featured on a new stamp.
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will commemorate the 150th anniversary of Colorado becoming a state with the issuance of a new Forever stamp.
Featuring a photograph of Jagged Mountain by the late photographer, the Colorado Statehood stamp will be issued during a ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 24, at History Colorado. The event is free and open to the public.
The stamp unveiling is being held in conjunction with the opening of the “Mountains Majesty: On the Summit with John Fielder” exhibition at History Colorado.
History Colorado said the new exhibition invites “visitors to ascend through sun-dappled valleys, explore rugged slopes, and take in Colorado’s colorful scenery on a photographic journey through the mountains with John Fielder.”
Museum members searched through more than 6,000 photos donated by the late photographer to History Colorado to create the exhibition.
“This exhibition is a love letter to John Fielder and his mountain photographs from History Colorado’s members,” said Katherine Mercier, the historian who developed this exhibition. “As History Colorado members selected photographs, I was struck by their deep emotional connection to John Fielder’s work. His powerful photos of Colorado’s mountains brought back personal memories of the state’s beauty and wonder.”
“John Fielder will always be ‘Colorado’s Photographer’ capturing the amazing beauty of our great state,” said Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. “Colorado is thrilled to receive the gift of a USPS commemorative stamp for our 150th birthday. This stamp will feature the awe-inspiring splendor of Jagged Mountain in the Weminuche Wilderness, one of Colorado’s breathtaking landscapes. This special stamp truly honors what makes Colorado unique.”