1998 32c Four Centuries of American Art: John Foster

US #3236a
1998 John Foster

• From a pane featuring 20 art pieces produced by American artists
• Part of Classic Collection series

Stamp Category: Commemorative,
Set:  Four Centuries of American Art
Value: 32¢, First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: August 27, 1998
First Day City: Santa Clara, California
Quantity Issued: 4,000,000
Printed by: Sennett Security Products
Printing Method: Photogravure
Format: Pane of 20
Perforations: 10.2

Why the stamp was issued: This stamp is part of a pane highlighting 20 of the most important American works of art produced in the last 400 years.

About the stamp design: The stamps show details from 20 works.  Howard Paine, a USPS art director, designed the layout for the pane.  He consulted with an expert on American art in choosing which paintings to include. Paine arranged the art in chronological order.

First Day City: The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at the opening event of stampshow 98, which took place in Santa Clara, California.

About the Classic Collection series: The Classic Collections series began in 1994 with the Legends of the West issue.  The idea originated from Carl Burcham, manager of stamp and product marketing for USPS at the time.  Each Classic Collections set consists of a pane of 20 different semi-jumbo stamps with descriptive selvage at the top (header) and informational text on the back of each stamp beneath the gum.  The stamps are “broadly defined, Americana-themed subjects.”
The series began six years earlier with the infamous Legends of the West sheet in 1994. Each sheet in the series would have the same unique 20-stamp format.  Each would have broadly defined Americana themes, exceptional artwork, a banner printed on the selvage of the sheet, and descriptive text on the back of each stamp. Additionally, postal cards with matching artwork would be issued to coordinate with a few of the sheets.
In 1998, the sixth addition to the series honored four centuries of American Art.  The text on the back of the pane reads, “The American artists represented here were born in diverse places around this country, as well as elsewhere. Some were self-taught, others were academically trained…  These images … reflect some of the enduring themes in American visual arts: a concern with individuality in a democratic society, reverence for the variety of landscape across the continent, down-to-earth realism, and a recurring sense of optimism and energy.”

History the stamps represent: Taken from a woodcut print John Foster created about 1670, Portrait of Richard Mather is the oldest work included in this pane of stamps. Little is known about the artist, but the subject was a well-known intellectual and religious leader of his time.
Richard Mather was born in 1596 in Lowton, England. At age 15, he entered the ministry. He studied at Brasenose College, Oxford, until 1618 when he left to become minister of a small town in England. As a devout Puritan, Mather rejected the formalities retained by the Church of England. He preached for 15 years without a surplice, the loose-fitting white religious gown worn by clergymen of the time. Church representatives discovered this, and suspended Mather. He was reinstated but returned to his dissenting ways and was tried before a court. He admitted his beliefs and was silenced by the English religious authorities.
Mather decided to travel to America, where he would be free to preach according to his own beliefs. In 1635, Mather, his wife, and his four sons set out for the Massachusetts Bay Colony. There he helped establish the Congregational Church in America and became a minister in Dorchester. His wife later gave birth to two more sons. Of his six sons, four became ministers.