Arago: People, Postage & the Post
This comprehensive resource to the study of philately and postal operations provides unparalleled access to one of the Smithsonian Institution’s largest collections.
The National Postal Museum, a Smithsonian Institution museum, contains the largest collection of any Smithsonian Institution with over 300,000 objects in its collection. Named after Françoise Arago, a 19th-century French scientist and friend of James Smithson, this Web site features almost every stamp ever issued in the United States in addition to thousands of international stamps and U.S. postal operations–related objects.
Visitors can browse and search the comprehensive collection of objects that chronicle the evolution and history of U.S. stamp design and production as well as the development of the U.S. postal system and the vital role mail plays in our daily lives. Special histories are told through selected assemblages of museum objects and exceptional private collections via the online exhibitions. Visitors can collect items to create their own digital collections, organize sets, record notes, and email items of interest to friends and family. Through a comprehensive researcher participation program, the museum collected contextual histories and a wealth of knowledge from expert philatelists around the world to round out this extensive online experience.