The current American flag consists of 13 alternating horizontal stripes — seven red and six white—and 50 stars on a field of blue. The flag’s 13 stripes represent the 13 colonies that declared independence from Great Britain, while the number of stars on the flag matches the number of states in the Union. The flag’s 50th star was added on July 4, 1960, after Hawai‘i became a state in 1959.

An enduring emblem of freedom, national unity, and patriotic spirit, Old Glory waves proudly outside government offices, schools, military bases, and USPS facilities. Flags stand watch over the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., and encircle the base of the Washington Monument. Flag Day, first proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916, is observed every year on June 14.

Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp using a photograph by Doug Haight.

The U.S. Flag stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp. This Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price.