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Pomological
Watercolors:
A Wealth of Beauty and Detail
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Hoosier raspberry.
(K9008-4) |
More than 6,000 splendid
watercolors of apples, blackberries, cherries, grapes, persimmons, and other
fruits are preserved at the ARS National
Agricultural Library in Beltsville, Maryland. Known as the USDA Pomological
Watercolor Collection, this treasury of original prints and related materials
makes up one of the world's most unusual holdings of late 19th and early 20th
century American botanical illustrations.
Described as a "priceless but little known legacy for all
Americans," many of these beautiful drawings resulted from USDA
scientists' need to depictwith absolute accuracynew varieties that
they had developed or perhaps gathered during overseas plant-collecting
expeditions.
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Pan American strawberry.
(K9008-1) |
American Beauty apple.
(K9008-7) |
Explains Susan H. Fugate, head of
the library's special collections, "These early researchers couldn't just
pick up a handy camera and pop in a roll of color film." So, beginning in
1887, USDA's Division of Pomology hired skilled artists who created the precise
yet pleasing drawings that make up the collection.
Many of the superb, highly detailed prints were featured in early USDA
publications, including bulletins and circulars for farmers, as well as annual
reports. Today, the drawings are a boon to horticulturists, historians,
artists, and publishers. These specialistsand othersrely on the
realistic illustrations as an invaluable source of information about the
history of growing fruit in the United States.By
Marcia Wood, Agricultural
Research Service Information Staff.
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Bachman's Grape #309.
(K9008-11) |
Wineberry raspberry.
(K9008-2) |
Fuyu persimmon.
(K9008-15) |
Schaffer raspberry.
(K9008-3) |
In the late 1800s and
early 1900s, USDA hired about 50 illustrators to produce watercolors of new
varieties of fruits and nuts. The result was a collection of thousands of
beautiful and precise renderings that serve as accurate records of the fruits
of that era. One of those prolific artists, Amanda A. Newton, was the
granddaughter of Isaac Newton, the nation's first Commissioner of Agriculture.
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Princess Ena strawberry.
(K9008-5) |
Rubus fruticosa blackberry.
(K9008-10) |
Delaware x Gor Ross grape.
(K9008-9) |
Susan H. Fugate is with Special
Collections, USDA-ARS National Agricultural
Library, Abraham Lincoln Building, 10301 Baltimore Ave., Beltsville, MD
20705-2350; phone (301) 504-5876, fax (301) 504-7593. |
"Pomological
Watercolors: A Wealth of Beauty and Detail" was published in the
September
2000 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
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Last Modified: 08/16/2004
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