REXBURG— Tom Murphy is a Montana-based photographer who has photographed animals in Yellowstone National Park for over 50 years.
The United States Postal Service contacted Murphy to send in bison photos for a new stamp. It was hard to decide because the wildlife photographer has over 5,000 photographs. The stamp idea was to blend historic and modern photography. Murphy’s bison photo will be overlayed with the image of a 1923 stamp that featured a wood carving of a bison.
Murphy’s bison was photographed in Hayden Valley 12 years ago. The engraving made in 1923 was made from a stuffed bison put in the Smithsonian museum in 1888.
Murphy now has the opportunity to showcase his love of bison to the world.
“The honor to me is now I have little pieces of my pieces of art flying all over the world,” Murphy said.
Bison have naturally fascinated people over the years for their rarity. Murphy says they are the last surviving ice age large animal. Yellowstone has played a role in allowing wild bison to survive.
“The number one thing people want to see when they come to Yellowstone Park is a bison,” Murphy said.
He hopes this encourages people to go see real bison at places like Yellowstone National Park.
The stamp will be released on May 25 in Boston and all over the country on May 26. The USPS will print over 15 million bison stamps.
Murphy will be at a local post office in Livingston, Montana signing collectors’ items and stamps.
“A big satisfaction I have is people connecting with these animals. And if you can connect with them as a photographer, that’s going to come through in your photographs,” Murphy said.
To see more of Murphy’s photography go to tmurphywild.com
Look for the new bison stamp on May 26 at your local post office. It is available for pre-order on the Stamps Forever website.