‘The Charter Oak’ - Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT
Posted by: 
hykesj
N 41° 45.826 W 072° 40.424
18T E 693373 N 4626163
1857 painting by Charles De Wolf Brownell used for the vignette of a 1935 U.S. postage stamp.
Waymark Code: WM174RD
Location: Connecticut, United States
Date Posted: 12/11/2022
Views: 1
New York has the Statue of Liberty, Pennsylvania has the Liberty Bell and Connecticut has the Charter Oak.
In 1661, Governor John Winthrop Jr. of the Colony of Connecticut sailed to England to secure a charter from the King as a legal basis for the colony’s existence. He returned in May of 1662 with a charter signed by King Charles II which, among other things, granted the colony a significant amount of autonomy. In 1687, when England attempted to incorporate Connecticut into the newly formed Dominion of New England, Joseph Wadsworth hid the charter in the hollow of a large white oak tree to keep the prized document out of the hands of the authorities, or so the legend goes…
Regardless of what had actually transpired, the old tree became a symbol of the colony’s resolve, so it was a momentous event when the tree fell during a storm in 1856. Many images of the Charter Oak exist including some early photographs. Charles De Wolf Brownell created this oil on canvas painting right after the tree fell and based it on recent sketches. It became the basis of a commemorative postage stamp issued in 1935 which commemorated Connecticut’s 300th anniversary.
And, in an interesting self-referential twist, the painting’s frame is made from wood salvaged from the felled tree.
Stamp Issuing Country: United States
Date of Issue: 26-Apr-1935
Denomination: 3c
Color: violet
Stamp Type: Single Stamp
Relevant Web Site: Not listed
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