Continuing the American Folk Art series is this set of four stamps showing examples of the time-honored form of hand-carved carousel animals. Wood carving is one of the oldest and most widespread forms of art. The art form has been practiced in almost all cultures from the earliest times. Carvings may be in shallow relief or, in the manner of these carousel animals, fully three-dimensional. The art of the wood carver depends on knowledge of the characteristics of specific woods, skill in fashioning the material, and talent in design. Each of the figures shown on these stamps actually were in use on working carousels.