On 12 August, 2010, the U.S. Postal Service added another collectible postage stamp to its eclectic American Treasures commemorative stamps series with their dedication of the 44-cent Winslow Homer stamp. Homer, a 19th century American painter, graces the 27th stamp in the American Treasures series with his painting entitled Boys in a Pasture.
American Artist Winslow Homer
Homer was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1836. In 1859, Homer moved to New York City, where he studied at the National Academy of Design. At the start of the Civil War, Harper's Weekly sent Homer to the front lines as an artist-correspondent.
Homer's skill was not limited to a single art medium. While Boys in a Pasture and The Gulf Stream (by Winslow Homer as well)are widely considered masterpieces of American oil painting, many Winslow Homer watercolor pieces are equally impressive. The Global Gallery lists several Homer watercolor seascapes as being unique and unsurpassed in American art, including Breaking Storm and The Hurricane.
Other important works by Homer include Breezing Up, Eight Bells, and Fog Warning.
Homer died in 1910. He is now widely considered one of the greatest American artists of the 19th century.
USPS Winslow Homer American Treasures Stamp
As seen in USA Philatelic: Beyond the Perf, the Winslow Homer stamp features Boys in a Pasture, an 1874 oil-on-canvas painting. The painting is in the Hayden Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Boys in a Pasture is the third painting of Homer's to grace a U.S. stamp. In 1962, the U.S. Post Office issued a stamp featuring Breezing Up (A Fair Wind), followed by the 1998 issue of The Fog Warning as one of the 20 stamps in the Four Centuries of American Art pane.
United States Stamps in the American Treasures Series
As of 12 August, 2010, there are 27 stamps in the USPS American Treasures commemorative stamps series, with the 28th stamp to be issued in 2011. The 27 stamps were released as part of nine different issues in the American Treasures series. With each new stamp, the USPS generates recognition for sometimes-overlooked contributors to American art.
The current list of American Treasures stamp subjects can be found below. For those interested in postage stamp collecting, the Scott catalog number is found beside each stamp (or set of stamps).
- Amish Quilts (2001, Scott #3524, 3525, 3526, and 3527)
- John James Audubon - Scarlet and Louisiana Tanagers, 1864 (2002, Scott #3650)
- Mary Cassatt- four paintings (2003, Scott #3804, 3805, 3806, 3807)
- Martin Johnson Heade - Giant Magnolias on a Blue Velvet Cloth, circa 1890 (2004, Scott #3872)
- Rio Grande blankets (2005, Scott #3926, 3927, 3928, 3929)
- Gee's Bend, Alabama quilts (2006, Scott #4089, 4090, 4091, 4092, 4093, 4094, 4095, 4096, 4097, 4098)
- Louis Comfort Tiffany - Magnolias and Irises, circa 1908 (2007, Scott #4165)
- Albert Bierstadt - Valley of the Yosemite, 1864 (2008, Scott #4346)
- Winslow Homer - Boys in a Pasture, 1874 (2010, Scott #TBD)
- Edward Hopper - The Long Leg, 1935 (2011, Scott #TBD)
As reported by the March 23, 2009 issue of Linn's Stamp News, the intended release of the 2009 Edward Hopper stamp featuring The Long Leg was canceled due to economic reasons. The Hopper stamp will now be released as the 2011 issuance in the American Treasures series.
Barring unforeseen circumstances such as that with the 2009 issue, the American Treasures series should continue indefinitely.
Boys in a Pasture Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
