Citrus sinensis Washington Navel
1913
Ellen Isham Schutt wasn't just painting fruit; she was documenting a botanical oddity in 1913. Notice the top orange's bumpy, textured skin compared to the smooth, perfect sphere below? The handwritten notes reveal a fascinating detail: this 'Australian type' fruit was actually growing on a single limb of a standard Washington Navel tree in California. As a prolific illustrator for the USDA, Schutt created these vibrant watercolors to help farmers identify new varieties long before color photography was reliable, turning dry scientific records into something surprisingly delicious to look at.