US #3236g
1998 Asher B. Durand

Shows detail from Kindred Spirits
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 stamp represents: Born on August 21, 1796, in Jefferson Village, New Jersey, Asher B. Durand was one of the most influential artists of the early 19th century.
Durand’s career began as an apprentice to an engraver around 1812, and by 1823 he had already made a name for himself with his reproduction of John Trumbull’s painting Declaration of Independence.
Soon Durand, along with his brother Cyrus, started a banknote engraving company. It was the perfect partnership – Cyrus invented new machines for mechanical drawing, and Asher engraved the currency. In fact, some of Asher’s designs were so attractive, they established many of the ornamental designs used on American paper currency today.
By 1835, Durand decided to devote himself entirely to becoming a portrait painter. After painting the likenesses of several prominent political figures, he traveled to Europe for a year to study the old masters.
Upon his return, Durand began to paint vast landscapes. In fact, he is known as one of the first American artists to paint nature from “out of doors.” One of his most famous scenes, Kindred Spirits (1849) depicts two friends, Thomas Cole and William Cullen, high atop a rocky ledge in the Catskill Mountains. Durand presented the painting to Bryant about a year after the Cole died of pneumonia.

US #3236g
1998 Asher B. Durand

Shows detail from Kindred Spirits
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 stamp represents: Born on August 21, 1796, in Jefferson Village, New Jersey, Asher B. Durand was one of the most influential artists of the early 19th century.
Durand’s career began as an apprentice to an engraver around 1812, and by 1823 he had already made a name for himself with his reproduction of John Trumbull’s painting Declaration of Independence.
Soon Durand, along with his brother Cyrus, started a banknote engraving company. It was the perfect partnership – Cyrus invented new machines for mechanical drawing, and Asher engraved the currency. In fact, some of Asher’s designs were so attractive, they established many of the ornamental designs used on American paper currency today.
By 1835, Durand decided to devote himself entirely to becoming a portrait painter. After painting the likenesses of several prominent political figures, he traveled to Europe for a year to study the old masters.
Upon his return, Durand began to paint vast landscapes. In fact, he is known as one of the first American artists to paint nature from “out of doors.” One of his most famous scenes, Kindred Spirits (1849) depicts two friends, Thomas Cole and William Cullen, high atop a rocky ledge in the Catskill Mountains. Durand presented the painting to Bryant about a year after the Cole died of pneumonia.