Senator Charles E. Schumer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 16, 2007

Schumer, Clinton Renew Support For USPS’s Creation Of A Stamp Commemorating NY Painter Jasper Cropsey

USPS’ Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee Will Consider Proposal for Commemorative Stamp On Jan 25th

Life-Long New Yorker, And Native Staten Islander, Was An Integral Part Of The Internationally Renown Mid-19th Century Landscape Painters Known As The “Hudson River School”

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton today renewed their support for a Jasper Cropsey Commemorative Stamp. In a personal letter to each member of the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC), the senators reiterated the accomplishments and historical significance of the New York painter. Mr. Cropsey is famous for his colorful landscapes and his association with the internationally renowned landscape painters known as the Hudson River School. The Senators sent an initial letter urging the U.S. Postal Service to encourage CSAC to issue a commemorative stamp honoring Cropsey on August 30, 2006.

“New York’s own Jasper Cropsey captured the true spirit of America in his moving paintings of New York and other national landscapes,” said Schumer. “He created profoundly beautiful images that vaulted our still young nation to the forefront of international culture. As one of this country’s premier 19th century landscape painters, he deserves to be honored with a commemorative stamp.”

“It is my sincere hope that the members of the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee will approve this stamp to honor Staten Island native and New York landscape painter Jasper Cropsey,” said Clinton. “Cropsey was one of the foremost American painters, an artist with deep ties to New York. A commemorative stamp will give much deserved recognition to a talented artist who was able to garner international attention by capturing the beauty of New York in his work and would come just at the right time as we prepare for the 400th anniversary of the voyages of Hudson and Champlain and the 200th anniversary of the voyage of Fulton.”

Mr. Cropsey, a native Staten Islander and a life-long New Yorker, was an integral part of the mid-19th century American group of landscape painters called the Hudson River School. Cropsey was best known for his bold and brilliant use of color to depict American landscapes. His paintings are owned by most of America’s major museums, and are found in the collections of the Department of State, the White House, and the National Gallery of Art. On August 27, 1998, the U.S. Post Office issued a collection of stamps titled “Four Centuries of American Art” featuring three Hudson River painters; however, paintings by Mr. Cropsey were not included. The request to CSAC for this stamp has already generated Congressional support in the form of Senate Concurrent Resolution 54 and House Concurrent Resolution 138.

In a personal letter to the members of the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee, Sens. Schumer and Clinton wrote, “Throughout his life, Jasper F. Cropsey was intimately connected with New York State, specifically the Hudson River Valley. This relationship allowed him to artfully and accurately depict the Hudson River, which first served as an entryway for exploration of the central and western United States, and later as a passageway for national trade and economic growth. We would like to suggest that USPS now honor the life and the work of Mr. Cropsey by issuing a stamp of one of his most famous paintings, Autumn – On the Hudson River, currently on display at the National Gallery of Art.”

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