The very first time I attended a SOPEX show, Jim Bryan had a table with an assortment of beautiful and unique cachet covers. At the time I had no idea of the history and stories behind the artistry in front of me. What I did see were beautifully hand-made pieces of philatelic art depicting Southern Oregon historic sites, events, and tributes to local culture, all of which I was just beginning to appreciate as a new Rogue Valley resident.
These beautiful covers were the craft of Evelyn Bryan, 1920-2017, the cachet-maker and cachet chair of our club the Southern Oregon Philatelic Society, and Jim's mom. In this blog I will share Evelyn's work with regular posts highlighting her wonderful creative efforts over the years.
As we approach the nation's semiquincentennial (I think I will start calling it the quarter millennium), I thought it would be appropriate to start with Evelyn's work in 1976, honoring the USA in its bicentennial year. Evelyn's covers were often hand-drawn, as this example shows. The scene here is the Table Rocks above the Rogue River, a highly picturesque and underappreciated vista a short ten minute drive north of Medford. Throughout the year 1976, Evelyn continued this series of patriotic covers, and I will showcase more of them in future posts. If you are a cover collector and interested in adding this gem to your collection, we have a very small number on hand and available in our club store. Obviously as these covers are no longer being made, once they're sold, that's it! Some of her covers are as far as we know one-of-a-kind, like the cover heading this blog post, and are part of the club's permanent legacy.
