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A LITTLE HISTORY ON THE 25TH (1958-59) DUCK STAMP ARTIST

When Leslie C. Kouba was 14 years old, he wrote a letter to Art Instruction, Inc. In Minneapolis, Minnesota.  It was the first of many letters he would write to the company as he progressed through this correspondence courses in art.  It was the only formal art training he ever received, but with the right influences from his earlier life, it was the only training he needed to send him down the road to becoming a wildlife artist.

The fact that he was born in Minnesota might alone have been enough to get him into the right filed, since the state is so well known for its wildlife artists.  On February 3, 1917, he was born on a small farm a few miles north of Hutchinson, Minnesota (Hutchinson is about 50 miles due west of Minneapolis).   Since he lived on a farm and was the second of three boys, he naturally was expected to do his share of the work around the place.  Les, like most boys, preferred sitting around outdoors, sketching, or many other activities over doing chores.   With the creactivity of the young mind, the evasive tactics he adopted were many and varied.  One scheme in particular worked admirably.  When milking time came around he would trot out to the bar, get the pail and stool, sit down with his forehead against a warm flank...and fall asleep.  After a few of these naps, it didn't take long for his father to realize that Les wasn't cut out to be a farmer.

For this particular boy, the elimination of farming as a career was far from a disaster.  In fact, it was quite the contrary.  His early interest in drawing gave him a head start.  Being brought up in the Minnesota countryside, where there was an abundance of birds and animals to watch, was another thing in his favor.  It was at the tender age of 14 that he began taking art courses by correspondence from Art Instruction, Inc.  Because of this professional guidance, he began to develop his own style early, compared to other artists.  During his high school years in Hutchinson, his favorite subject was drawing.  Manual training was also an interest but ran only a close second.

Of course, even for an artist developing his skills, life isn't all work.  Mr. Kouba went to a Thanksgiving dance in 1937 and says he's been thankful ever since that he did.  It was there that he met his wife, the former Orial Theim of Bibbon, Minnesota.

Ducks Unlimited, Inc. has claimed Mr. Kouba as an enthusiastic member for several years.  He also belongs to the Izaak Walton League of America, and is a member of many other conservation groups.  Mr. Kouba spends some time photographing wildlife, but hunting and fishing are his main hobbies.  He has traveled a good deal with Mrs. Kouba to collect Indian artifacts.

The two have hunted for surface findings all over the country, constantly adding to an already large collection.  The travel serves a double purpose: pleasure, and finding new ideas and scenes for painting.

-------------------------THE ART-------------------------
Canada Geese was done in watercolor wash. The print is a stone lithograph, hand pulled on white paper with black ink.  The prints are hand signed in pencil but not numbered.  The image size of the print size is 6 7/8"x9 1/4".

-------------------------THE STAMP-------------------------
Canada Geese...Engraved by the Federal Bureau of Engraving from the original artwork.   Printed in midnight black ink.  The stamp sold for two dollars.  Postal records show 2,165,562 stamps sold.  First day of sale was July 1, 1958.

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.