Back to RW21   Back to the Federal Index   Home

A LITTLE HISTORY ON THE 21ST (1954-55) DUCK STAMP ARTIST

Harvey D. Sandstrom is one of the top wildlife artists of Minnesota, a state that is famous for them.  He was born a "city boy" in St. Paul, in 1925.  He often managed to get out of the city with his father on camping trips.   In the wild country of Minnesota, they both enjoyed hunting and fishing.  They also added Harvey's collection of birds' wings, animal skins, claws, and other relics that attract boys.  Because of this preoccupation with outdoors and wildlife, he naturally began to draw birds and animals and even took an interest in taxidermy.

World War II was in full swing by the time he was 18 years old and he postponed his higher education to join the Navy.  He was in the armed forces from 1943 to 1946 and saw action in the South Pacific.

Sandstrom entered the Minneapolis School of Art and began his four years of study. Like many other students and beginning artists have been forced to do, he took any job that came along during those years.  In his early years he worked as a truck driver, a farmer, a surveyor, and at several other odd jobs.  As many of the Duck Stamp artists have done in the past, he brushed aside such work and even called it good experience.   Fine artist are usually so intent on their craft that they can easily ignore the nonart intervals as long as they know they'll get back to art-work eventually.

After he graduated from art school in 1950, Mr. Sandstrom began to free-lance in Duluth.  A little later, he opened an art studio with the aid and assistance of three partners.  It was then that he began painting wildlife in earnest.  His developing talent even allowed him to hold several one-man art shows.  In addition, his work was displayed and sold in large sporting goods stores and galleries in New York City, Chicago, and many other places throughout the United States.

It was at this point in his career that he decided to go on a hunting trip to White Oak Lake near Grand Rapids, Minnesota.  While he was there, he was fascinated by the Ring-necked Ducks and spent many hours watching and sketching them. These were the ducks that he later used in his Duck Stamp design.  After that, Mr. Sandstrom specialized in commercial art, working from his studio at home as a designer-illustrator.

Mr. Sandstrom has a wife, Donna Rae, and two daughters, Barbara and Sarah.  the family lives in the country on Mirror Lake, 18 miles northwest of Duluth.  There, away from the hustle of city life, one of their greatest pleasures is tapping the maples they find on their 40 acres to make their own maple syrup.  Mr. Sandstrom is an incurable sportsman and likes to hunt, play softball, swim, and ski, both in water and in snow.  He is also active in his church activities and goes outdoors sketching whenever he can find time.

-------------------------THE ART-------------------------
Ring-necked Ducks was painted in gouache. A stone lithograph was hand pulled print was done on white paper in black ink. The print was hand signed in pencil but not numbered.  The image size of the print is 5" x 7".

-------------------------THE STAMP-------------------------
Ring-necked Ducks...Engraved by the Federal Bureau of Engraving from the original artwork.   Printed in black and white ink.  The stamp sold for two dollars.  Postal records show 2,184,550 stamps sold.  First day of sale was July 1, 1954.

Most of the information contained above is from the book Federal Duck Stamp Story, Fifty Years of Excellence, by Laurence F. Jonson; Alexander & Co.  It is used here with permission from the author. For more information on this book, please click here.