6041 – 2025 First-Class Forever Stamp – Icicles with Ocean

US #6041
2025 Icicles with Ocean

• Part of set featuring five different designs
• Issued for use on 2025 holiday and winter mail

Stamp Category:  Special
Set:  Winter Landscapes
Value:  78¢, First Clas Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue:  September 19, 2025
First Day City:  Danville, Indiana
Quantity Issued :  48,000,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset
Format:  Double-sided Booklet of 20

Why the stamp was issued:  The Winter Landscapes stamps honor the beauty of a snowy scene.

About the stamp design:  USPS art director Ethel Kessler used existing photographs of winter landscapes to create the five stamp designs.

First Day City:  The First Day of Issue ceremony was held during the INDYPEX Stamp Show.

About the Winter Landscapes Set:  After every snowstorm, when the winds calm and the skies clear, we’re treated to a magical glimmering white scene.  Hills and rooftops sparkle under the sun, forests grow quiet beneath heavy branches of white, and even the most ordinary streets appear transformed.  Yet, many of the most breathtaking winter landscapes in American memory followed some of the harshest storms. The contrast between nature’s fury and the peace that follows gives these moments their lasting power.
The 1936 North American cold wave froze rivers and even parts of Chesapeake Bay, with wind chills dropping to –85°F.  Life ground to a halt.  When the storm finally passed, whole towns glittered under snow and ice, shining despite the hardship.  Decades earlier, the “Year Without a Summer,” in 1816, had brought frost and even June snow to New England.  Crops failed, yet the strange sight of green fields frosted white created unforgettable scenery.
The 1886 blizzard buried Kansas farms, but afterward the vast prairie stretched smooth and silver in the sunlight.  Commerce ground to a halt as rivers and harbors turned solid in The Great Freeze of 1857, yet ice bridges gleamed.  The Great Appalachian Storm of 1950 left devastation, but also mountains glistening beneath towering drifts.
The 2025 winter landscape stamps capture that spirit, showing how snow can soften even any storm into moments of still beauty.

History the stamp represents: The cold storm and “Great Freeze of 1857” is remembered as one of the most severe winters the United States has ever seen.  In January of that year, an arctic blast swept across the eastern states, plunging temperatures so low that mercury in some thermometers froze solid.
Rivers, harbors, and canals turned to ice, shutting down vital transportation routes.  The Delaware and Hudson Rivers froze completely, while parts of the Chesapeake Bay and New York Harbor were locked in ice thick enough to halt shipping.  Ice bridges formed across major waterways, allowing people and even wagons to cross where boats normally sailed.
The sudden freeze paralyzed commerce along the East Coast.  Ships were trapped in ice, unable to move for weeks, while barges and ferries sat idle.  Coal, food, and other goods could not be delivered, and many cities faced shortages.  In some areas, makeshift sled routes were used to transport supplies over the frozen rivers. The bitter cold also strained families, who had to burn extra fuel just to stay warm.
The Great Freeze of 1857 was remembered not only for its record-breaking chill but also for the way it disrupted daily life, leaving a lasting mark on communities that relied heavily on waterways for trade and travel.