Stevan Dohanos

Stevan Dohanos was an American social realist artist, best known for his Saturday Evening Post magazine covers. He was born in Lorain, Ohio and was an admirer of Norman Rockwell. As a teen working at a steel mill, he used his free time copying Rockwell's magazine covers, which caught the attention of his co-workers. They purchased his works, inspiring the young man to peruse an art career. He took classes at the Cleveland Art School and eventually found work as an apprentice at a commercial art studio. During World War II, he made war posters and painted murals on federal buildings. 

Dohanos changed career paths when photography became more readily available. Artists like him were no longer needed to illustrate magazine and newspapers. He turned his focus to stamp art, serving the industry through seven presidential administrations. 

The Postal Service’s Hall of Stamps in Washington, D.C. was dedicated in his honor in 1984.