On 8 May 2025, the Isle of Man Post issued a series of postage stamps "Through the Lens of Leonard McCombie".

The series is dedicated to the work of the Manx native - the famous photographer Leonard McCombie and is timed to coincide with the opening of the exhibition of his works "Leonard McCombe: Through the Lens of War", organized by Manx National Heritage.

Leonard James McCombie was born in 1923 in Port Erin on the Isle of Man. From his youth he showed an interest in the visual arts, first in painting, then in photography. Already at the age of 16, he sold his photographs to the London Daily Express. From 1943 to 1945, McCombie worked as a war photojournalist for Picture Post, covering the advance of Allied troops across Europe. From 1945 to 1972, he collaborated with Life magazine, making many iconic reports and earning worldwide fame. In 1961, McCombie moved to the United States, settling on a farm on Long Island, but always maintained contact with his native island. The photographer died in 2015.

The postage stamps of the series are a reflection of the photographer's creative path. The first three stamps use early photographs taken by McCombie on the Isle of Man: a local shoemaker at work, a reportage photo shoot from a wedding, and a fisherman on board a fishing vessel in Port Erin harbour. The next three stamps are evidence of the war years: Auxiliary Air Transport Service pilot Maureen Dunlop in the cockpit of a Baracuda (1944), a barefoot girl in post-war Poland (1945), and a portrait of German Karl Lehmann in an internment camp on the Isle of Man.

The last two stamps of the series show us photographs taken in 1948-1949 by Leonard McCombie in America. The stamps feature a photograph of a Navajo girl and a Texas cowboy with a lasso.

The cowboy photograph was taken by McCombie as part of a major editorial assignment for LIFE magazine. In August 1949, LIFE published a large article, “Last Look at an Old Cowboy.” Largely thanks to Leonard McCombie’s photographs, it immortalized the lifestyle of Texas cowboys, becoming a monument to this disappearing culture.

The main character of the article was 39-year-old Clarence Hailey “C.H.” Long, a cowboy who worked for more than 20 years on the Texas ranch “JA Ranch” near Amerillo. McCombie made a large photo essay, capturing both the intense working days and the rare moments of rest of the cowboys.

McCombie was looking for the “truth” of cowboy life - without the gloss of cinema and stereotypes. His photographs showed the beauty of the American prairie, honest work and the freedom-loving spirit of the old West. LIFE, having published these photographs, made Clarence Long the ideal of masculinity in the eyes of the American audience.

This story had an unexpected continuation: the photographs were seen by an advertising agency and Long was offered cooperation with the Marlboro company. Thus, Clarence Haley Long became the first "Marlboro cowboy", and the photograph of Leonard McCombie became the standard for the iconic advertising campaign and the visualization of the true American spirit.

The ceremonial presentation of the series of postage stamps "Through the Lens of Leonard McCombie" took place on May 8, 2025, simultaneously with the opening of the exhibition of his photographs at the House of Manannan. The event was attended by representatives of the Isle of Man Post and the photographer's son Clark McCombie with his wife.

In addition to the series of postage stamps, a prestige booklet was released with detailed information about the life and work of the photographer with a large number of photographs.

Source: iomstamps.com , life.com