The first published reference to snow globes was in a report of the 1878 Paris Exposition Universelle, where several manufacturers exhibited “snowstorm paperweights,” as they were called at the time. Beginning around 1900, snow globes began appearing as souvenirs at tourist sites around Europe.
Over the years, snow globes have been called by many names — snow dome, water globe and snowfall weight, among others — but the most widely used name today is snow globe. Though “globe” seems to indicate a sphere, they come in almost any shape that can contain the liquid inside. The container is often mounted on a base, though sometimes the shape, such as a bottle, allows it to stand alone without a support. The base might enclose a music box; other modern embellishments can include lights and animation of the scene inside.
Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, designed the Snow Globes stamps with original art by Manchess. Painting in oil, Manchess created the designs featuring icons of the season, each spherical snow globe sitting on a brown base: a snowman wearing a jaunty red-and-white scarf; Santa Claus on a rooftop, preparing to climb down the chimney; a reindeer standing in a snowy forest; and a snowy tree decorated with colorful ornaments.
In each snowy scene, white flakes fly beneath the dome of glass, with the words “forever” and “USA” in the lower left-hand side of each stamp. The booklet cover features a detail of the snowman globe. To the left, the title Snow Globes is in capital letters of icy white and blue. The booklet includes 20 stamps, five each of the four designs.
The Snow Globes stamps are being issued as Forever stamps, which will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.