1794 Compass Rose Global Forever Stamps, 2025 Sheet – International Mail

The 32-point compass rose depicted on the stamp is from the Collections of the Maine Historical Society and was drawn in 1794 by 10-year-old Lucia Wadsworth in her school geography notebook. She colored the directional points in bright blue, red, yellow and green on a beige background. Wadsworth is the aunt of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

The pane of 10 round stamps is arranged in two horizontal rows of five stamps. The text, repeated twice around the stamp edge, reads “Global” in red and “USA” “Forever” and “2025” in green lettering. Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, was the stamp designer.

The 1794 Compass Rose is a Global Forever stamp. The stamp can be used to mail a 1-ounce letter to any country where First-Class Mail International service is available.