WINSLOW HOMER'S "BOYS IN A PASTURE" ISSUED ON NEW POSTAGE STAMP

TWO FARMS BOYS REST IN A FIELD, A QUIET MOMENT EMBLEMATIC OF 19th CENTURY RURAL AMERICA, BRINGS NOSTALGIA VIA A NEW 44 CENT POSTAGE STAMP BEING RELEASED THURSDAY. THE STAMP, THE LATEST IN THE POSTAL SERVICE'S AMERICAN TREASURES SERIES, FEATURES WINSLOW HOMER'S 1874 PAINTING, ON DISPLAY AT BOSTON'S MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS. HOMER'S WORK LARGELY FOCUSES ON LANDSCAPES AND SCENES OF AMERICAN LIFE. FIRST DAY OF ISSUE CEREMONIES FOR THE STAMP ARE BEING HELD AT THE AMERICAN PHILATELIC SOCIETY STAMPSHOW 2010 IN RICHMOND, VA. IT'S HOMER'S THIRD TIME ON A US POSTAGE STAMP. THE FIRST WAS IN 1962, FEATURING 'BREEZING UP (A FAIR WIND)', A PAINTING OF A MAN AND THREE BOYS SAILING. IN 1998 A STAMP CARRIED HIS PAINTING 'THE FOG WARNING'. WINSLOW HOMER IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE GREATEST AMERICAN PAINTERS OF THE 19th CENTURY. BORN IN BOSTON, HE BEGAN A TWO-YEAR APPRENTICESHIP IN A LITHOGRAPHY SHOP AT THE AGE OF 19 AND AFTERWARDS BECAME A FREELANCE ILLUSTRATOR. IN 1859, HE MOVED TO NEW YORK CITY, WHERE HE STUDIED AT THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN AND WORKED AS A FREELANCE ARTIST FOR HARPER'S WEEKLY MAGAZINE. IN 1861, AT THE START OF THE CIVIL WAR, THE MAGAZINE SENT HIM TO THE FRONT LINES AS AN ARTIST-CORRESPONDENT. INAUGURATED IN 2001 WITH THE AMISH QUILTS STAMP PANE, THE AMERICAN TREASURES SERIES CONSISTS OF ANNUAL ISSUANCES INTENDED TO SHOWCASE BEAUTIFUL WORKS OF AMERICAN FINE ART AND CRAFTS.