"Statue of Freedom" by Tom Lydon, Original Chalk on Paper, 1991

Presented is “Statue of Freedom,” an original chalk drawing by American artist Tom Lydon. The drawing shows an intricately detailed rendering of the Statue of Freedom, at the lower right of the composition. Behind the statue is a waving American flag. In the background, the U.S. Capitol building stands gleaming in white against a brilliant orange sunrise. Lydon created this stunning artwork in 1991, for use on a Fleetwood Maximum Card issued in January of that same year.  A Maximum Card consists of a postcard and a stamp tied together by a theme, usually celebrating a historic moment or historical figure. Maximum Cards are similar to First Day Covers and just as collectible.  Like First Day Covers, they feature a stamp canceled on its first day of issue and a large artistic cachet that usually fills the whole cover, yet sized for a postcard format, instead of an envelope format.  The artistry that goes into these cards is very impressive, as they have to celebrate a moment in history a