Updated July 3rd: The Scott catalogue number for this issue is 5202.

Updated April 26th: Here is the Digital Color Postmark for this issue: It measures 2.93″ x 1.38″. Here is the black-and-white pictorial: It measures 2.97″ x 0.48″.

Updated April 19th:
On May 23, 2017, in Concord, MA, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Henry David Thoreau stamp (Forever® priced at 49 cents), in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 475100). The stamp will go on sale nationwide May 23, 2017.

With this stamp, the U.S. Postal Service celebrates writer, philosopher, and naturalist Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) on the bicentennial of his birth. The stamp art is an oil-on-panel painting of Thoreau’s face based on a famous 1856 daguerreotype by Benjamin Maxham. On the right side of the stamp is Thoreau’s signature of his last name. Below the signature is a branch of sumac leaves. With Thoreau’s personal example of simple living, his criticism of materialism, and the timeless questions he raises about the place of the individual in society and humanity‘s role in the natural world, he continues to inspire new generations to assert their independence, reinterpret his legacy, and ask challenging questions of their own. The artist for this stamp was Sam Weber. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp.

Stamp Fulfillment Services will make an automatic push distribution to Post Offices™ of a quantity to cover approximately 30 days of sales.

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 new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store® website at usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-782-6724. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

FDOI – Henry David Thoreau Stamp
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service™ will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by July 23, 2017.

Philatelic products for this stamp issue are as follows:

• 475106 Press Sheet with Die-Cut, $88.20
• 475110 Digital Color Postmark Keepsake, $11.95
• 475116 First-Day Cover, $0.93
• 475121 Digital Color Postmark, $1.64
• 475124 Framed Art, $39.95
• 475130 Ceremony Program, $6.95
• 475133 Panel, $10.95

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Henry David Thoreau Stamp
Item Number: 475100
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: May 23, 2017, Concord, MA 01742
Designer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Typographer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Artist: Sam Weber, Brooklyn, NY
Modeler: Sandra Lane/Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Printed at: Browns Summit, NC
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 12,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged Paper, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit NC
Colors: PMS 7591/Sienna, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.42 x 0.84 in./36.07 x 21.34 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.56 x 0.98 in./39.62 x 24.89 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 7.25 x 7.25 in./184.15 x 184.15 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 22.00 x 22.00 in./558.80 x 558.80 mm
Plate Size: 180 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “B” followed by five (5) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Plate numbers in two corners of pane
Back: © 2016 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Barcode (475100) in upper right and lower left corners of pane • Promotional text

Updated March 27th: [USPS media advisory]
Writer, Philosopher and Naturalist Henry David Thoreau to be Commemorated on a Forever Stamp

WHAT:
First-Day-of-Issue dedication ceremony for the Henry David Thoreau Commemorative Forever stamp. The event is free and open to the public.

WHO:

• Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton
• Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Leo Roy
• U.S. Postal Service General Counsel and Executive Vice President Thomas J. Marshall
• Select Board Town of Concord Chair Michael Lawson
• Walden Woods Project Board Member/Environmentalist/Actor Ed Begley Jr.

WHEN: Tue., May 23 @ 11 a.m.

WHERE:
Walden Pond State Reservation Visitors Center
915 Walden St.
Concord, MA 01742

The public may RSVP online at usps.com/thoreau. Followers of the U.S. Postal Service’s Facebook page can view live streaming video of the event at facebook.com/USPS. The media is asked to share the news on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #ThoreauStamps.

BACKGROUND: The U.S. Postal Service celebrates writer, philosopher, and naturalist Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862) on the bicentennial year of his birth. The stamp art is an oil-on-panel painting of Thoreau’s face based on a famous 1856 daguerreotype by Benjamin Maxham. On the right side of the stamp is Thoreau’s signature of his last name. Below the signature is a branch of sumac leaves.

With Thoreau’s personal example of simple living, his criticism of materialism, and the timeless questions he raises about the place of the individual in society and humanity’s role in the natural world, he continues to inspire new generations to assert their independence, reinterpret his legacy, and ask challenging questions of their own. Sam Weber of Brooklyn, NY, was the stamp artist. Art director Greg Breeding of Charlottesville, VA, designed the stamp.

Updated March 13th: The USPS says this stamp will be issued May 23rd in Concord, MA.

From the USPS, November 22nd, 2016:

With his personal example of simple living, his criticism of materialism and the questions he raises about the place of the individual in society and humanity’s role in the natural world, Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) continues to inspire readers. For 26 months, Thoreau lived in a one-room house on a lake just outside his hometown of Concord, MA, writing prolifically while farming, reading, thinking, taking long walks and observing nature around him. “Walden,” the 1854 book he wrote about his experience, still holds the attention of readers by blending elements of numerous genres to create a complex, eclectic and unique work. Art director Greg Breeding designed this stamp with original art by Sam Weber.  Comment:

The USPS honored Thoreau in 1967: