Eliot Landau will discuss his award-winning philatelic exhibition “Lincoln, Slavery and the Civil War” at this year’s Maynard Sundman Lecture at Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum Saturday, March 7, at 1 p.m. In addition, the collection will be on display in the museum’s Franklin Foyer from Friday, March 6, to Sunday, March 8. The exhibit combines stamps, mail, ephemera and artifacts in an engaging exploration of Lincoln’s presidency, the Civil War and black history. The collection of visual materials tells the story from a unique perspective using everyday objects, such as a letter, an abolitionist newspaper, photographs and actual shackles worn by a slave. In addition, Landau has prepared a special exhibit, “Collect Lincoln for Yourself.”

Landau is an attorney, an accredited American Philatelic Society national chief judge and noted Lincoln author, exhibitor and lecturer. He was a civil rights worker for voter registration and desegregation efforts and served as a law clerk to Justice Thurgood Marshall. He is the co-author and chief editor of “Linn’s U.S. Stamp Facts: Nineteenth Century,” and wrote chapters for the “Encyclopedia of U.S. Stamps and Stamp Collecting.” He is a former president of the Chicago Philatelic Society.

The National Postal Museum’s Maynard Sundman Lecture Series was established in 2002 through a donation by his sons, David and Donald. The Sundman lectures feature talks by authors and expert philatelists on stamps and stamp collecting.

The National Postal Museum is devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service and showcasing the largest and most comprehensive collection of stamps and philatelic material in the world. It is located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue N.E., Washington, D.C., across from Union Station. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). For more information about the Smithsonian, please call (202) 633-1000 or TTY (202) 633-5285.      

Museum Web site: www.postalmuseum.si.edu.

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