Georg Olden (far left) at the White House with JFK.
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1963, Georg Olden (1920–1975)—the first African American art director at CBS Television and VP/art director at McCann Erickson—was also the first Black designer to create a United States commemorative postage stamp. It was for the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation (half a century later, Gail Anderson, chairperson of BFA Design and BFA Advertising at School of Visual Arts, designed the USPS stamp for the Proclamation’s 150th anniversary).
To celebrate the stamp and the work of this talented Midcentury Modern graphic “arts” designer, Olden was invited to be contestant on the popular primetime TV game show “I’ve Got A Secret.” Watch this to find out his secret.
Georg Olden on “I’ve Got A Secret” with host Gary Moore and panelists Bill Cullen (TV personality), Betsy Palmer (actress), Henry Morgan (TV personality) and Bess Meyerson (former Miss America).