Yosemite Valley Landscape Commemorated on Postage

    Albert Bierstadt's Valley of the Yosemite gets stamp of approval



    HARTFORD, Conn., Aug. 14 /EMWNews/ -- The U.S. Postal

Service dedicated the Valley of the Yosemite commemorative 42-cent first

class stamp at the American Philatelic Stamp Show in Hartford, CT today.

The stamp image is based on an 1864 oil-on-paperboard painting by landscape

artist Albert Bierstadt. The original painting belongs to the Museum of

Fine Arts in Boston. The Albert Bierstadt: Valley of the Yosemite stamp, as

the eighth issuance in the American Treasures series, is available

nationwide today.



    "Albert Bierstadt painted the Valley of the Yosemite in 1864," said

U.S. Postal Service Vice President, Employee Resource Management, Deborah

Giannoni-Jackson while dedicating the stamp. "That same year, Nevada became

our 36th state and President Lincoln signed into law the Yosemite Land

Grant to protect 39,000 acres of the Yosemite Valley and the neighboring

Mariposa Big Tree Grove. It was a heroic age, and the western frontier was

a land of opportunity and spectacular beauty.



    "It was the perfect place and time for Bierstadt," she continued. "He

loved nature, adventure and America. And he found them all on perfect

display in the great American West. In hundreds of dramatic paintings, he

mixed reality and artistry to capture the essence of the wilderness the

grandeur of nature and the soaring spirit of a nation growing into its

destiny."



    Joining Giannoni-Jackson in dedicating the stamp were Citizens' Stamp

Advisory Committee member Jessica Helfand and American Philatelic Society

Past President Janet Klug.



    One of the preeminent American landscape painters of the 19th century,

Bierstadt is considered to be a second-generation member of the Hudson

River School, a group of artists devoted to the American landscape. Best

known for his Western landscapes, he was strongly influenced by the

dramatic images of German painters active in Dusseldorf. Both painting

styles were highly influenced by romanticism and emphasized the spiritual

aspects of nature.



    Valley of the Yosemite -- which measures 11 7/8 inches by 19 1/4 inches

-- shares the freshness and immediacy of the plein air field sketches

Bierstadt used in composing a much larger painting entitled Looking Down

Yosemite Valley.



    Even at this small scale, Bierstadt effectively used the theatrical

atmospheric lighting and dramatic aerial perspective so characteristic of

the Hudson River School of painters. Valley of the Yosemite evokes the

sublime grandeur of the unspoiled Western wilderness that Bierstadt so

eloquently portrayed in his monumental panoramic landscapes.



    Inaugurated in 2001 with the Amish Quilts stamp pane, the American

Treasures series is intended to showcase beautiful works of American fine

art and crafts. The 2002, 2003, and 2004 issuances featured artwork by John

James Audubon, Mary Cassatt, and Martin Johnson Heade respectively. The

theme returned to textiles with the issuance of the New Mexico Rio Grande

Blankets stamp booklet in 2005 and the Quilts of Gee's Bend booklet in

2006. The 2007 issuance featured a leaded Favrile-glass window designed by

Louis Comfort Tiffany.



    Philatelic Products



    There are three philatelic products available for this stamp issue:



    -- 678461, *First Day Cover, 80-cents.



    -- 678491, *Ceremony Program, $6.95.



    -- 678493, *First Day Cover Keepsake, $9.20.



    How to Order First-Day Covers



    Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers first-day covers for new stamp

issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official

first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number

and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may

request a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:



    Information Fulfillment



    Dept. 6270



    U.S. Postal Service



    PO Box 219014



    Kansas City, MO 64121-9014



    How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark



    Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by

mail. They may purchase the new stamped postcards at their local Post

Office, by telephone at 800-STAMP-24, or at the Postal Store website at

http://www.usps.com/shop. They should address the cards (to themselves or others)

and place them in an envelope addressed to:



    Albert Bierstadt Stamp



    Postmaster



    Hartford MPO



    141 Weston St.



    Hartford, CT 06101-9998



    After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will

return the cards through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All

orders must be postmarked by Oct. 15, 2008.



    An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only

delivery service that visits every address in the nation -- 146 million

homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale

of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax

dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers

nearly half the world's mail.