PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR ~ POET ~ BLACK HERITAGE ~ BLACK HISTORY 1554 Block of 8 x 10¢ US Postage Stamps

Block of eight stamps as pictured. ~ On May 1, 1975 in Dayton, Ohio, the USPS honored American writer and poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar, as the newest addition to the American Arts series. As a teenager, Dunbar operated an elevator in Dayton, Ohio and tried to sell passengers books of his verse. Several of his early poems were published by the Wright brothers when they experimented with a homemade printing press. His "Majors and Minors" in 1895 drew the praise of William Dean Howells, the dean of American critics, and he produced verse, novels, and short stories. His best-known collection, "Lyrics of Lowly Life" was published in 1896, His writing greatly contributed to a more sensitive understanding of African Americans. Dunbar was born on June 27, 1872 and died on February 9, 1906 from Tuberculosis at the age of 33.