Step 1 : Introduction to the question "Who was the first American woman to appear on a U.S. postage stamp?"
Martha Washington became the first American woman featured on a U.S. postage stamp in 1902, when her portrait appeared on an 8-cent issue released by the U.S. Post Office Department. While she was the first American woman to receive this distinction, she was not the first woman ever depicted on a U.S. stamp—that honor belongs to Queen Isabella I, who financed Christopher Columbus’s 1492 voyage and appeared on a commemorative stamp in 1893. Washington’s appearance marked a significant milestone in expanding national recognition of women’s historical contributions.