The April 17th Postal Bulletin says these four booklet stamps will be issued Thursday, August 21st in Hartford, Conn. That’s the first day of the American Philatelic Society’s StampShow 2014, also in Hartford. Most if not all of the American Treasures art stamps have been issued at StampShow.

Designs added May 24th. That also gives us the names of the artists: Thomas Moran, Asher B. Duran, Frederic Edwin Church, and Thomas Cole.

The Wikipedia article on this mid-1800s style of art is here.

From the July 24th Postal Bulletin:

On August 21, 2014, in Hartford, CT, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the Hudson River School stamps (Forever First-Class Mail priced at 49 cents), in four designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 689500).

The stamps will go on sale nationwide August 21, 2014.

This 12th issuance in the American Treasures series features details of paintings by four renowned artists of the Hudson River School.

Inspired by the stunning natural beauty of New York state, this loose-knit school of painters flourished from the mid-1830s to the mid-1870s and gave America its first major school of art. The paintings on these stamps are: Distant View of Niagara Falls by Thomas Cole (1801–1848); Summer Afternoon by Asher B. Durand (1796–1886); Sunset by Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900); and Grand Canyon by Thomas Moran (1837–1926). The designer and art director for these stamps was Derry Noyes.

Each one of the Hudson River School stamps must be shown in its entirety with the perforations. None of the stamps may be cropped or modified in any way and must be used only as a whole image.

1. Frederic Edwin Church Stamp:
The following credit is required for philatelic products and marketing materials: Church, Frederic Edwin (1826–1900). Sunset,1856. Oil on canvas. Original 1870s-style frame. 37-3/4 x 49-3/4 in.(framed). Proctor Collection, PC.21, Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Utica, NY, U.S.A. Photo Credit: Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute/Art Resource, NY.

2. Thomas Cole Stamp:
The following credit is required on philatelic products (the caption and credit line may be given on a hangtag). For Internet use, the caption and credit line should appear in immediate proximity of the image or in a “Sources of Illustrations” section and MUST include a link to the AIC’s website.
http://www.artic.edu/aic: Thomas Cole, American, 1801-1848, Distant View of Niagara Falls, 1830, Oil on panel, 47.9 x 60.6 cm (18-7/8 x 23-7/8 in.), Friends of American Art Collection, 1946.396, The Art Institute of Chicago. Photography © The Art Institute of Chicago.

3. Asher B. Durand Stamp
The following credit is required for philatelic products and marketing materials: Durand, Asher Brown (1796–1886). Summer Afternoon, 1865, Oil on canvas, 22-1/2 x 35 in. (57.2 x 88.9 cm). Bequest of Maria DeWitt Jesup, from the collection of her husband, Morris K. Jesup, 1914 (15.30.60), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, U.S.A. Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource, NY.

4. Thomas Moran Stamp
No credits required.

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 http://www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

Hudson River School
Hartford Post Office
MOWU
141 Weston Street
Hartford, CT 06101-9998

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. For more than 50, customers have to pay five cents each. All orders must be postmarked by October 20, 2014.

There are eight philatelic products for this stamp issue:

• 689506 Press Sheet w/Die cut, $39.20 (quantity printed 1,000).
• 689508 Press Sheet w/o Die cut, $39.20 (quantity printed 1,500).
• 689510 Digital Color Postmark Keepsake (set of 4), $16.95.
• 689516 First-Day Cover (Set of 4), $3.72.
• 689521 Digital Color Postmark (Set of 4), $6.56.
• 689524 Framed Art, $39.95.
• 689530 Ceremony Program, $6.95.
• 689531 Stamped Deck Card, $0.95.

Technical Specifications::

• Issue: Hudson River School stamps
• Item Number: 689500
• Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
• Format: Double-sided Booklet of 20 (4 designs)
• Series: American Treasures
• Issue Date & City: August 21, 2014 Hartford, CT
• Art Director: Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
• Designer: Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
• Typographer: Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
• Existing Art: Thomas Cole, Frederic E. Church, Thomas Moran, Asher B. Durand
• Modeler: CCL Label, Inc.
• Manufacturing Process: Gravure
• Engraver: WRE
• Printer: CCL Label, Inc.
• Printed at: Clinton, SC
• Press Type: Dia Nippon Kiko, (DNK)
• Stamps per Booklet: 20
• Print Quantity: 100 Million Stamps
• Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged Paper, Overall, Block
• Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive adhesive
• Processed at: AVR, Clinton, SC
• Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
• Image Area (w x h): 1.42 x 0.84 in./36.07 x 21.34 mm
• Stamp Size (w x h): 1.56 x 0.98 in./39.62 x 24.89 mm
• Full Booklet Size (w x h): 3.12 x 6.13 in./79.25 x 155.58 mm
• Press Sheet Size (w x h): 6.13 x 12.48 in./155.70 x 316.99 mm
• Colors: Yellow, Magenta, Cyan, Black
• Plate Size: 80 stamps per revolution
• Plate Numbers: “C” followed by 1111 (4) single digits
• Marginal Markings: • Plate numbers in peel strip area • © 2014 • USPS Logo •Title • Barcode (689500)

First Day Postmark:

2.66″ x 1.39″