1998 32c Four Centuries of American Art: John James Audubon

US #3236e
1998 John James Audubon

• Shows detail from Long-Billed Curlew, Numenius Longrostris
• 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:  John James Audubon (1785-1851) left a graphic representation of America’s natural scene that hasn’t been matched by any artist since. His paintings of birds went far beyond illustration and have been recognized as formal pieces of art.
Audubon was born in Haiti, the illegitimate son of a French merchant and a Haitian chambermaid. His mother died soon after his birth, and he was raised in France by his father’s family. Audubon began studying and drawing birds as a child. By 1806, he was living in America. After failing to establish himself as a businessman, he decided to become a full-time artist. 
While teaching drawing and painting portraits in Cincinnati, Audubon began planning what would become the greatest collection of his works, The Birds of America. This four-volume set included 435 life-size species in full color on the biggest sheets of paper available at the time. 
In order to draw the birds for the book series, Audubon killed them. After doing so, he would wire the bird into position on a board. This allowed Audubon to use the actual bird as the basis for the illustration.