That’s exactly the question a little girl from Dover asked the other day. It seems her mother collects them. She dropped by to see if we had any information that would help explain it.
She was amazed to see that we have records from the Anti-Tuberculosis Society, which include scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, and some of their administrative files. We have records and photographs from the Bissell Hospital. And we also have lots of sheets of Christmas Seals.
So do you know the story of Christmas Seals? Did you know that the Christmas Seal campaign started right here in Delaware?
In 1907 a Red Cross volunteer by the name of Emily Bissell decided she was going to design and print a special holiday stamp and sell it at the post office for a penny. This was in response to the impending closing of the local sanatorium if it didn’t raise $300. And so the Christmas Seal was born.
To see more photographs relating to the Bissell Hospital, visit our State Board of Health exhibit in our Digital Archives.
Listen to a 1944 Message from Emily Bissell. Or, download the mp3.
Related Topics: Anti-Tuberculosis Society, Christmas Seal, Delaware Newspaper Clippings, Delaware photographs, Delaware State Board of Health, Emily Bissell, Scrapbooks
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