History the stamp represents: Frederick Childe Hassam (October 17, 1859 – August 27, 1935) was an American Impressionist painter who made over 3,000 pieces of artwork in his lifetime. This included oil and watercolor paintings plus etchings and lithographs.
After spending a number of years studying and honing his artistic skills in Europe, Hassam returned to the US and made a home for himself in New York City. He lived in a studio apartment at Fifth Avenue and 17th Street and began producing paintings inspired by his new surroundings. He once said “New York is the most beautiful city in the world. There is no boulevard in all Paris that compares to our own Fifth Avenue… the average American still fails to appreciate the beauty of his own country.”
Perhaps Hassam’s most famous paintings were his “Flag Series.” It included around 30 pieces, the earliest of which he began in 1916 after being inspired by a “Preparedness Parade” for World War I. The parade was held on Fifth Avenue, which became known as “Avenue of the Allies.” His paintings pictured the American flag on its own or intermixed with flags of other Allied countries. Some of Hassam’s flag paintings were exchanged for Liberty Bonds, giving them a dual purpose of increasing patriotism at home and helping those fighting abroad.
