1981 American Architecture series (Scott 1929) honoring architect Richard Morris Hunt (1827-1895) and featuring his masterpiece, the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. The Tudor House cachet showcases a red chalk-style portrait of Hunt alongside a detailed architectural drawing of the iconic Gilded Age mansion. First day cancel from Washington, DC, August 28, 1981.
Claude
The cachet features a red chalk-style portrait of Richard Morris Hunt (1827-1895) in the upper left, with his name and life dates written in red script below. A detailed black ink architectural drawing of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC dominates the lower portion of the cachet. The 18-cent stamp depicts the Richard Morris Hunt-designed Biltmore Estate and is part of the American Architecture series. The postmark is a standard circular machine cancel from Washington, DC dated August 28, 1981.
Mistral
The cachet features a detailed red chalk-style portrait of Richard Morris Hunt on the upper left, alongside a black-and-white architectural drawing of the Biltmore Estate, showcasing its grand Gilded Age design. The stamp depicts the same estate in gray with the text 'Richard Morris Hunt 1827-1895' and 'Architecture USA 18c'. The postmark is a circular cancellation with 'WASHINGTON DC 20013' and the date 'AUG 28 1981'. The text 'FIRST DAY OF ISSUE' is printed below the stamp, and the cachet artist's signature 'Tudor House' appears near the portrait.
(The automatic summaries sometimes misidentify the postmark as part of the cachet artwork.)
