Asia Society Features Installation of Rare Vintage Postage Stamps from the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan

The tiny kingdom-turned-democracy of Bhutan is featured in an installation of rarely seen vintage and recent photographs and elegant stamps from the archives of the Todd-Stewart family, the first U.S. family to trek to Bhutan back in 1951.  The free-to-the-public installation, entitled “Bhutan: Preserving Identity,” is open daily (11 a.m. until 6 p.m., except Mondays) through November 30, 2008 at Asia Society, 725 Park Ave. at 70th Street in New York City.

Burt Kerr Todd fell in love with the people and places of the then-isolated Himalayan kingdom, during his first visit in the 50s. In 1962, Bhutan's third king, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck approached Todd to help introduce Bhutan to the world. An inventor and entrepreneur, Todd developed a series of 69 extraordinary postage stamps for Bhutan, a selection of which are on view at Asia Society. These innovative postage stamps are tiny works of art that carried images of the once-hidden Bhutan throughout the world. 

The stamps and photographs on display document how Bhutan has preserved its traditions, culture, architecture and environment across generations. “To see Bhutan is indeed to witness the living history of a century-old monarchy,” says Frances Todd Stewart.