The Ukrainian poet Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (1814 –1861) was the premier literary figure of his homeland, the foundation of modern Ukrainian literature of the 19th century and a major figure of the Ukrainian national revival. These commemorative envelopes (in the U.S. known as First Day Covers) graphically celebrate the life of Shevchenko.
There are many monuments to Shevchenko throughout Ukraine, most notably at his memorial in Kaniv and in the center of Kiev that bears his name. The Kiev Metro station, Tarasa Shevchenka, is also dedicated to Shevchenko. Among other notable monuments to the poet located throughout Ukraine are the ones in Kharkiv (in front of the Shevchenko Park. Kharkiv|Shevchenko Park), Lviv, Luhansk and many others.
