Toni Morrison Forever First Class Postage Stamps-10 sheets of 20

Toni Morrison, the acclaimed author who became the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, will be memorialized on a Forever stamp, which was unveiled Tuesday by the United States Postal Service.

The portrait featured on the stamp — with Ms. Morrison smiling, looking straight into the camera, against a yellow backdrop — was part of a 1997 photo shoot by Deborah Feingold for the cover of Time magazine.

The United States Postal Service made the announcement at a ceremony at Princeton University, where Ms. Morrison taught from 1989 to 2006. The event was part of a series throughout the 2022-23 academic year dedicated to Ms. Morrison’s work, including lectures and an exhibit of her writing, said Gene Jarrett, dean of faculty at Princeton.

In a letter read at the unveiling, former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, the former first lady, said Ms. Morrison’s writing challenges readers’ consciences and brings out their empathy.